I've been looking forward to today's S@S trip since I signed up back in March! Today I was able to take an Italian cooking class....and because I was the trip m family-owned hotel. This hotel was originally the family home where they would host a lot of friends and family and cook for them. So, the family was encouraged open a restaurant, and then they were encouraged to add a few guesthouses for friends...which eventually expanded to this quaint hotel. It was so peaceful and beautiful. It's no wonder that the hotel needs to be booked at least a year in advance...even for the low season.
Because our group was so large, we had to split-up into two groups. One group would cook first and the second group would be able to take a tour of the grounds and go swimming. How luxurious. ;) My group cooked first, and we were taught how to make fresh pasta. So our chef came out and taught us the simple steps to make pasta and showed how the same procedure can be used to make practically any pasta. While the steps were simple, I had some trouble with the technique. The chef had to come over and fix my dough. :( Eventually I was able to roll it out into linguine pasta.
Then it was time for the groups to switch, so my group had an opportunity to either swim or take a tour of the grounds. I opted for the tour, and it was so great. They showed us how they used to make olive oil with the most elementary equipment and how they make it today. They have beautiful grounds that grow everything from grapes, olives, figs and plums. They utilize all of these fresh fruits and vegetables in their cooking and the food items that they sell.
Of course this meant that we had to make a trip to their family store. I was able to buy some amazing olive oil, preserves and a bottle of sweet prosecco. My hope is to take it home for us to enjoy at Thanksgiving, but depending how much room I have it might to be consumed on the ship. Ooopps! ;P
Soon it was time for lunch and we all assembled in the outside patio that was our "kitchen" and we were served a seven course lunch, which included: salad, chicken liver pate, bread, an antipasta plate, our actual pasta in a marinara sauce, our main entree was lemon and herb chicken with potato wedges. Then we took a break to help make the dessert, which was Tiramisu...my favorite. It is quite a simple recipe. I don't know why I haven't ever made it before.
After we made the Tiramisu, we of course got to eat it. While we were being served dessert, they gave each participant a certificate certifying us as official Italian chefs...so see I wasn't lying. I am now a certified Italian chef!!!
It was amazing. It's definitely not my last cooking class in Europe and the Mediterranean so I'll definitely keep you posted on the other yummy dishes I'll be making on this voyage. Now...if only I could get access to the ship's kitchen! ;)
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Freakin' Memories of Cinque Terre!
July 1, 2010
Okay, so from the title of this post, you can get a sense that it was a very interesting day. There are too many memories to document for one day, but I will do my best.
So, my friends and I slept in a little bit this morning and we got up and out into the town by 9:30am. We decided that we would checkout of our hostel, grab some quick breakfast and get out to Manarola, the next town. Unfortunately, this is where we faced our first hiccup for the day. The hostel office doesn't open until 10:30am, so we couldn't checkout when we wanted to. So we took a more relaxing time for breakfast as we waited for the office to open. Time is a very relative to the locals...especially in the small towns of Cinque Terre.
So at 11:00am, we checked out of the hostel and made our way
to the first town of the day, Manarola. In order to hike the towns, the trail is a national park and requires a daily pass to hike the trails between the towns. So we purchased our passes and we made our way to the "Via dell' Amore". It is a walkway of lovers and everywhere you look, there are locks on all the chain fences. Supposedly, lovers are supposed to walk this path together and lock their hearts with a lock anywhere on the path. Cinque Terre is a huge honeymoon destination so that might explain the thousands of locks we found on the walk. :) This was the easiest walk of the day. It only took us 30 minutes to get to Manarola.
The next town was Corneglia. It was starting at this town that I realized that I was not fully informed about the hike to the 5 towns. In order to get to Corneglia you must hike up 382 steps. Now, these steps are now equal distance. Some are tall and some are short. Some were close and some were far. It was truly an unexpected hike. This walk took 1.5 hours. We decided to take a lunch break at Corneglia. I was so tired that I wasn't hungry...so I just bought another huge bottle of water. I think I consumed 5 1.5-liters bottles of water the entire day. That's A LOT of water!
So, the day definitely got a lot more interesting on the way to Vernazza. The hike to Vernazza should take 2-hours at a brisk pace, and I believe we would have made it if we didn't have a major snafu. While we were hiking, probably an hour in, I asked to take a break to drink some water. While we were taking a rest, LaCona took off her backpack off to rest her shoulder. Now, what happened next is a strange mystery. Somehow her backpack started rolling and it got close to cliff. I could see the whole thing happen slow motion. We both saw the backpack roll off the cliff. I think we were just in shock because neither one of us ran for the bag. Now it would be bad to lose a backpack...but it would have been devastating to lose the contents of THIS bag. It held both our wallets, our ship ID, and our Passports. We would not have time to get a replacement before our next port, which means that we would have to somehow meet the ship at our next port in Naples. Thankfully it's the same country so it wouldn't have been as devastating as having to meet the ship in a new country.
But anyway, I d
igress. So we tried to go over the ledge to get the backpack, but it had fallen too far and the rocks were not stable enough to hold any adult's weight. So, we waited to see if anyone hiking behind us had anything that we could use as leverage. A kind British gentlemen came by and asked if he could help. He had some rope, but it wasn't long enough to be any use. He was heading to Corneglia and offered to get us help from the town. At the same time LaCona offered to go to Vernzazza to get assistance. We were literally in the middle of both towns so we waited to see who would get into town first.
While Kevin and I were waiting, several tourists walked by trying to see what the commotion was. One such group was a family of German tourists. They also had some rope and they tried to tie it to anything for support. However, the item that saved the day was their umbrella. The beach umbrella they had had a hook at one end, and the pole seemed long enough to grab the bag. Kevin got on the other side of the rail and we all held onto him. I think we had 6 people holding him during this incident. He was able to get the bag and there was an anthem of cheers from all the tourists around us. After profusely thanking our new German friends we made the trek to find LaCona. Thankfully we found her within 20 minutes. She had found someone who interestingly had a very similar contraption to our German friends. We walked to Vernazza with LaCona's "friend" and offered to have a snack at his restaurant. Again, I ordered another large bottle of water. After that fiasco, I really wish I drank.... ;)
Finally we got to Vernazza, and it was so beautiful.
There were umbrellas everywhere and the buildings were so colorful. LaCona and Kevin went to the beach for a well-deserved dip while I wrote postcards. It was nice to just rest under the shade and be thankful that everyone survived that little incident and that our passports and wallets were safe. :) We saw our German friends in Vernazza and offered to buy them lunch or drinks. They had already eaten, but they did take a picture with us so that we would never forget this memory.
From Vernazza, the plan
was to take a boat to Monterosso. We had been informed that the hike to Monterosso was a little more rigorous than the hike to Vernazza and that there wasn't much to see. Unfortunately, we missed the boats because were delayed in Vernazza, but I think we were all okay with that. While we were just thoroughly exhausted from our day, we decided to just take a quick tram ride to Monterosso to just say that we went to all 5 towns. When we got there, it was a bit disappointing. Other than the beach there isn't much appeal. The other 4 towns had so much character and amazing atmosphere. I'm glad that we only had 15 minutes there before we had to leave to get back on the ship in Cittavecchia.
It was a day of crazy. Not only was I not prepared for the hike. We were definitely not prepared for the many adventures of the day, which is why I will always remember the freakin' memories of Cinque Terre.
Okay, so from the title of this post, you can get a sense that it was a very interesting day. There are too many memories to document for one day, but I will do my best.So, my friends and I slept in a little bit this morning and we got up and out into the town by 9:30am. We decided that we would checkout of our hostel, grab some quick breakfast and get out to Manarola, the next town. Unfortunately, this is where we faced our first hiccup for the day. The hostel office doesn't open until 10:30am, so we couldn't checkout when we wanted to. So we took a more relaxing time for breakfast as we waited for the office to open. Time is a very relative to the locals...especially in the small towns of Cinque Terre.
So at 11:00am, we checked out of the hostel and made our way
to the first town of the day, Manarola. In order to hike the towns, the trail is a national park and requires a daily pass to hike the trails between the towns. So we purchased our passes and we made our way to the "Via dell' Amore". It is a walkway of lovers and everywhere you look, there are locks on all the chain fences. Supposedly, lovers are supposed to walk this path together and lock their hearts with a lock anywhere on the path. Cinque Terre is a huge honeymoon destination so that might explain the thousands of locks we found on the walk. :) This was the easiest walk of the day. It only took us 30 minutes to get to Manarola.The next town was Corneglia. It was starting at this town that I realized that I was not fully informed about the hike to the 5 towns. In order to get to Corneglia you must hike up 382 steps. Now, these steps are now equal distance. Some are tall and some are short. Some were close and some were far. It was truly an unexpected hike. This walk took 1.5 hours. We decided to take a lunch break at Corneglia. I was so tired that I wasn't hungry...so I just bought another huge bottle of water. I think I consumed 5 1.5-liters bottles of water the entire day. That's A LOT of water!
So, the day definitely got a lot more interesting on the way to Vernazza. The hike to Vernazza should take 2-hours at a brisk pace, and I believe we would have made it if we didn't have a major snafu. While we were hiking, probably an hour in, I asked to take a break to drink some water. While we were taking a rest, LaCona took off her backpack off to rest her shoulder. Now, what happened next is a strange mystery. Somehow her backpack started rolling and it got close to cliff. I could see the whole thing happen slow motion. We both saw the backpack roll off the cliff. I think we were just in shock because neither one of us ran for the bag. Now it would be bad to lose a backpack...but it would have been devastating to lose the contents of THIS bag. It held both our wallets, our ship ID, and our Passports. We would not have time to get a replacement before our next port, which means that we would have to somehow meet the ship at our next port in Naples. Thankfully it's the same country so it wouldn't have been as devastating as having to meet the ship in a new country.But anyway, I d
igress. So we tried to go over the ledge to get the backpack, but it had fallen too far and the rocks were not stable enough to hold any adult's weight. So, we waited to see if anyone hiking behind us had anything that we could use as leverage. A kind British gentlemen came by and asked if he could help. He had some rope, but it wasn't long enough to be any use. He was heading to Corneglia and offered to get us help from the town. At the same time LaCona offered to go to Vernzazza to get assistance. We were literally in the middle of both towns so we waited to see who would get into town first.While Kevin and I were waiting, several tourists walked by trying to see what the commotion was. One such group was a family of German tourists. They also had some rope and they tried to tie it to anything for support. However, the item that saved the day was their umbrella. The beach umbrella they had had a hook at one end, and the pole seemed long enough to grab the bag. Kevin got on the other side of the rail and we all held onto him. I think we had 6 people holding him during this incident. He was able to get the bag and there was an anthem of cheers from all the tourists around us. After profusely thanking our new German friends we made the trek to find LaCona. Thankfully we found her within 20 minutes. She had found someone who interestingly had a very similar contraption to our German friends. We walked to Vernazza with LaCona's "friend" and offered to have a snack at his restaurant. Again, I ordered another large bottle of water. After that fiasco, I really wish I drank.... ;)
Finally we got to Vernazza, and it was so beautiful.
There were umbrellas everywhere and the buildings were so colorful. LaCona and Kevin went to the beach for a well-deserved dip while I wrote postcards. It was nice to just rest under the shade and be thankful that everyone survived that little incident and that our passports and wallets were safe. :) We saw our German friends in Vernazza and offered to buy them lunch or drinks. They had already eaten, but they did take a picture with us so that we would never forget this memory.From Vernazza, the plan
was to take a boat to Monterosso. We had been informed that the hike to Monterosso was a little more rigorous than the hike to Vernazza and that there wasn't much to see. Unfortunately, we missed the boats because were delayed in Vernazza, but I think we were all okay with that. While we were just thoroughly exhausted from our day, we decided to just take a quick tram ride to Monterosso to just say that we went to all 5 towns. When we got there, it was a bit disappointing. Other than the beach there isn't much appeal. The other 4 towns had so much character and amazing atmosphere. I'm glad that we only had 15 minutes there before we had to leave to get back on the ship in Cittavecchia.It was a day of crazy. Not only was I not prepared for the hike. We were definitely not prepared for the many adventures of the day, which is why I will always remember the freakin' memories of Cinque Terre.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Florence, Pisa and Cinque Terre...OH MY!
June 30, 2010
Every morning I have to wake up and thank God that I am on this amazing voyage. This morning, I woke up to the beautiful landscape of Florence and I couldn't but praise God for this amazing love and grace. Everywhere I look I see the amazing beauty that He created and I find myself in awe. I just had to walk outside the little balcony of the hostel and just look out at the horizon and soak in everything that I saw.
Therefore, after a slight later start that we anticipated, my friends and I grabbed some breakfast (Pizza...the breakfast food of champions and college students) we went searching for soap. Holly, one of the friends that I was traveling with today, needed to go to this famous parfumerie to buy her 
mom some soap that she wanted. As we were going through the beautiful rooms, I soon found out that this parfumerie is also one of the oldest pharmacy/apothecary in the world. It was so interesting to learn how they utilized so many of the natural remedies that we still use today to take care of most ailments. I had to snap a few pictures for mom, so she can also see one of the oldest pharmacy in the world. I also had to get some soap because the entire 5-room shop/pharmacy smelled A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Hopefully the soap will be able to capture some of the scent of the store. :)
After that fun little excursion, we all went to the leather district and did some more shopping. I had to buy some Murano glass pendants for mom and friends so I went out to do some bargain shopping. I'm not the best negotiator of prices, but I have to say I think I did pretty well. I was able to get several times more than 50% off, so that made me happy. I'm not going to say all that I bought because one, you'd be shocked, and two, some of you will be getting these gifts and I want to keep it a surprise. :)
After the shopping, LaCona and I headed towards Pisa and Cinque Terre while our other friend Holly went back to Rome. If any of you have been to Pisa, you know that there's not much there other than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was a pretty quick 2-hour trip. After taking our very touristy pictures, we went on the hunt for Leaning Tower of Pisa bottle of olive oil for one of our fellow LLCs. Everywhere we went there were bottles of alcohol but not of olive oil. It was so crazy. It just made me think about how many of our students would try to get these bottles of alcohol back onto the ship. :(
Next, we headed to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre means "Five Towns," which is exactly what makes-u the area. We first took the train La Spezia and then took a smaller train to the Riomaggiore, which is the town that we were going to spend the night before hiking the other 4 towns. It was at Riomaggiore where LaCona and I met up with Kevin, a fellow LLC.
Riomaggiore is such a cute little town. It was the perfect town to spend the night. After hiking up to the hostel, which was the highest point of the town, we dropped our stuff off and went to grab some dinner. Quick trivia for my fellow foodies, pesto's birthplace is in the Cinque Terre region...so all I had on my agenda for dinner was to have some great pesto and I can say I was not disappointed. We befriended an older woman, who owns a hostel in town, and she pointed us to a small local restaurant. The food was great, but trying to order food with our very very limited Italian was quite interesting.
After dinner, we walked about the town and grabbed some yummy gelato for dessert as we walked back to our hostel for a good night sleep. We have a huge day of hiking ahead of us so we called it an early night. I can't wait to see the other towns of Cinque Terre. If they look anything like Riomaggiore, it'll be an amazing day!
Every morning I have to wake up and thank God that I am on this amazing voyage. This morning, I woke up to the beautiful landscape of Florence and I couldn't but praise God for this amazing love and grace. Everywhere I look I see the amazing beauty that He created and I find myself in awe. I just had to walk outside the little balcony of the hostel and just look out at the horizon and soak in everything that I saw.
Therefore, after a slight later start that we anticipated, my friends and I grabbed some breakfast (Pizza...the breakfast food of champions and college students) we went searching for soap. Holly, one of the friends that I was traveling with today, needed to go to this famous parfumerie to buy her 
mom some soap that she wanted. As we were going through the beautiful rooms, I soon found out that this parfumerie is also one of the oldest pharmacy/apothecary in the world. It was so interesting to learn how they utilized so many of the natural remedies that we still use today to take care of most ailments. I had to snap a few pictures for mom, so she can also see one of the oldest pharmacy in the world. I also had to get some soap because the entire 5-room shop/pharmacy smelled A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Hopefully the soap will be able to capture some of the scent of the store. :)After that fun little excursion, we all went to the leather district and did some more shopping. I had to buy some Murano glass pendants for mom and friends so I went out to do some bargain shopping. I'm not the best negotiator of prices, but I have to say I think I did pretty well. I was able to get several times more than 50% off, so that made me happy. I'm not going to say all that I bought because one, you'd be shocked, and two, some of you will be getting these gifts and I want to keep it a surprise. :)
After the shopping, LaCona and I headed towards Pisa and Cinque Terre while our other friend Holly went back to Rome. If any of you have been to Pisa, you know that there's not much there other than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was a pretty quick 2-hour trip. After taking our very touristy pictures, we went on the hunt for Leaning Tower of Pisa bottle of olive oil for one of our fellow LLCs. Everywhere we went there were bottles of alcohol but not of olive oil. It was so crazy. It just made me think about how many of our students would try to get these bottles of alcohol back onto the ship. :(
Next, we headed to Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre means "Five Towns," which is exactly what makes-u the area. We first took the train La Spezia and then took a smaller train to the Riomaggiore, which is the town that we were going to spend the night before hiking the other 4 towns. It was at Riomaggiore where LaCona and I met up with Kevin, a fellow LLC.
Riomaggiore is such a cute little town. It was the perfect town to spend the night. After hiking up to the hostel, which was the highest point of the town, we dropped our stuff off and went to grab some dinner. Quick trivia for my fellow foodies, pesto's birthplace is in the Cinque Terre region...so all I had on my agenda for dinner was to have some great pesto and I can say I was not disappointed. We befriended an older woman, who owns a hostel in town, and she pointed us to a small local restaurant. The food was great, but trying to order food with our very very limited Italian was quite interesting.
After dinner, we walked about the town and grabbed some yummy gelato for dessert as we walked back to our hostel for a good night sleep. We have a huge day of hiking ahead of us so we called it an early night. I can't wait to see the other towns of Cinque Terre. If they look anything like Riomaggiore, it'll be an amazing day!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Ciao from Italy!
June 29, 2010
Ciao from Italy! In 2004, I went to the Trevi Fountain and wished to come back in Italy, and in 6-years it came true. Now if only my other 2 wishes would come true. I'll keep my fingers crossed!
The ship docked in Civitavecchia, Italy, which is the nearest port to Rome. Unfortunately, it's still about a 10-15 minute train ride into the city. Thankfully for me, a few friends of mine and I decided to ditch Rome and head over to Florence. I've been before, but I absolutely adore Florence, so I was more than happy to head there again.It might come as a shock to some 
of you, but I've never stayed in a hostel before. It might make some sense since I haven't done extensive traveling internationally. But, my friends and I stayed in a hostel while we were in Florence, and it was really cute. I always envisioned hostels being tons of bunk beds in a large room, but we had a private room for the three of us and we had a communal bathroom for all the people on our floor. I thought it was quite cute and very reasonably priced (25 Euros). It was a nice first-time experience and fairly close to the train station.
of you, but I've never stayed in a hostel before. It might make some sense since I haven't done extensive traveling internationally. But, my friends and I stayed in a hostel while we were in Florence, and it was really cute. I always envisioned hostels being tons of bunk beds in a large room, but we had a private room for the three of us and we had a communal bathroom for all the people on our floor. I thought it was quite cute and very reasonably priced (25 Euros). It was a nice first-time experience and fairly close to the train station.After we dropped off our heavy backpacks at our hostel, which is called Ciao Hostel (so cute), we went out to explore Florence. We went into the main Piazza and saw the beautiful Duomos. It's so amazing how you'll just be walking down a street and all of a sudden, one of the most beautiful buildings will be staring back at you. That has happened so many times on this trip...and Florence was no exception.
After roaming the plazas, and doing a little shopping, we traveled to the Piazza Michelangelo. I can't believe I missed this the first time I was in Florence. It was truly a Renaissance moment. There were musicians, people picnicing on the steps with bottles of wine, bread, cheese and fruit while they watched the sunset. It was just such a beautiful experience. It was hard to leave it, but we needed to grab some dinner before we headed to the hostel so we can get up early for another long day of traveling.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Spain: My List for Next Time
My time in Spain was just way too fast. I'm a little ashamed to say this now, but I wasn't expecting much from Spain. I don't know why I thought that. I was expecting just a huge city, where I wouldn't be able to be absorbed in the true culture of Spain, but I was so wrong. Barcelona is ALL about the culture of the Spanish and Catalonian people.
So, now that I've fallen in love with Spain, here is my list of must dos for my next visit:
1. La Boqueria: I literally had 15 minutes in the famous open market off of Las Ramblas. It is an open market filled with fresh fruit, meat, seafood and simple snacks. I got the most delicious tomato and herb filled empanadas and a kilo of cherries that took 5 people all afternoon to finish.
2. Montjuic: I regret not having time to go up to the mountain village of Monjuic. There is a castle and a small village town with lots of side attractions. One of the biggest draws is the water and light show at the fountain at night. I wasn't able to do it this time, but it's definitely on my things to do next time!
3. Monserrat: A monastery situated in the mountains near Barcelona. It is famous for their boy choir that sings every day. It is beautiful and very tranquil. It will definitely be something that will be high on my priority when I go back to Barcelona.
4. Churros con Chocolate: I must go back to Valdor again...but this time much sooner in my visit so I can visit multiple times. Also, I think ordering 4 churros for two people is plenty. LaCona and I ordered 6 and it was way too much for the two of us...and we are two major chocoholics.
5. Madrid: I wish I had time to leave the town of Barcelona to visit more areas of Spain but there just wasn't any time. I would definitely like to visit Madrid next time. I hear that it has a completely different feel to Barcelona. I would love to go next time.
So, now that I've fallen in love with Spain, here is my list of must dos for my next visit:
1. La Boqueria: I literally had 15 minutes in the famous open market off of Las Ramblas. It is an open market filled with fresh fruit, meat, seafood and simple snacks. I got the most delicious tomato and herb filled empanadas and a kilo of cherries that took 5 people all afternoon to finish.
2. Montjuic: I regret not having time to go up to the mountain village of Monjuic. There is a castle and a small village town with lots of side attractions. One of the biggest draws is the water and light show at the fountain at night. I wasn't able to do it this time, but it's definitely on my things to do next time!
4. Churros con Chocolate: I must go back to Valdor again...but this time much sooner in my visit so I can visit multiple times. Also, I think ordering 4 churros for two people is plenty. LaCona and I ordered 6 and it was way too much for the two of us...and we are two major chocoholics.
5. Madrid: I wish I had time to leave the town of Barcelona to visit more areas of Spain but there just wasn't any time. I would definitely like to visit Madrid next time. I hear that it has a completely different feel to Barcelona. I would love to go next time.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Search for Churros con Chocolate
June 27, 2010Since we got to Barcelona, all I've heard was about Churros con Chocolate. It is day four of our trip in Barcelona, and I had yet to find a store/restaurant that sold them. I was beginning to think that we would never find them, but LaCona and I made it our mission to find them today. From the picture, you can obviously determine that we found them...but it was about a good hour-and-a-half search in the Gothic Quarter to find them. But I can tell you, it was definitely worth the wait!
We found a place called Valdor, which makes churros from
scratch. It was such a treat to watch them make them hot for us. She started with the batter, and squeezed a large portion into the hot oil.Afterward she flipped
the batter over using something that looked like large chopsticks.Needless to say, it was absolutely heavenly. Definitely what my tummy wanted at that moment. While we were there, a woman stopped at our table and told us that the quality of the chocolate is determined by whether or not your churros can stand on its own in the cup of chocolate. From the looks of it, I believe we chose the right place to have our Churros con Chocolate experience!
La Sagrada Familia
June 26, 2010
After missing La Sagrada Familia a few days ago, I was determined to try to get in early this morning. I can tell you that if I missed the La Sagrada Familia, I would have been so devastated. It was absolutely beautiful. When I first saw it in magazines it looked like there was too much going on a little "too much". Every corner you look, there is something else to see.
The cathedral has stories around every corner. When we enter the church you can the marble statues of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It starts with the passover, then the betrayal of Judas, the trial with Pilot and then the crucifixion. It's just absolutely beautiful. I constantly ask myself how Gaudi could have imagined all of this. I can't comprehend how one person could have thought of all these designs.In the church, Gaudi
wanted the light in the church to illuminate the sanctuary with light in a certain way. He wanted it to reflect on a floor of mirrors, where the light would then transfer up to the ceiling, where the church will eventually be topped with a cross. The light is then supposed to stream out of all corners of the cross and shoot out of its extremities. It's just too amazing to comprehend. I was in the church for several hours and I still feel like there is so much to still see.
One of the most amazing things to do at the church was to go up its steeples. From the steeple, you can see more details of the church the entire city of Barcelona. It's absolutely breathtaking. Sometime you just need to allow our spirit to rejuvenate. Well, this was my time. :)
Barcelona, Day 2
June 25, 2010
This morning I went to the Picasso Museum with Dr. Darlene Campbell and her students. We were led through some of Picasso's greatest works. There was a lot from his "Blue Period". I could have been in there for hours, but unfortunately our tour was about an hour. I'll definitely need to go back some day.
After the Picasso Museum, we went to the Barcelona Cathedral. Even though I went to the cathedral last night, it was very nice to go through with a tour guide. We were able to see the special section where the suit-of-armors of all the families that helped build the cathedral. We also saw some ducks. They looked quite happy to be in such a beautiful place.
Following a nice siesta, a few friends and I looked to catch a Flamenco performance. Flamenco is such a passionate dance. The performance consisted of a Spanish guitarist, vocalists and several dancers. Interesting fact, Hugh Hefner and Harrison Ford has attended this Flamenco performance in the past. I wish you all had an opportunity to see it. Each of the soloists were so amazing. I have no words to express how beautiful it was. For 30 Euros we got a 3-hour shoe and a beverage of choice. I tried some sangria...but if you know me, you know that I took a few sips before I couldn't take anymore. What a waste, but it's all, about the cultural experience, right?
Friday, July 2, 2010
Espania!!
June 24, 2010
Well, it's official. We've docked in Espania! It is absolutely beautiful. I have to say we're all very excited to be on solid land now after about a week at sea for the students and practically two-weeks at sea for the staff (minus a short stint in Halifax, Canada to pick-up the students). Also, very few people can say that they're traveling in Spain for their birthday. Not too shabby. Now, how will any other birthday top this?!
Barcelona is a city that is just filled with color and excitement at every corner. Gaudi's influence and art is seen all-over. It's so interesting. At first, when I saw Gaudi's art, I thought it was chaotic and didn't make much sense. Now that I've seen the art in person, I realize just how much of a genius he was. The salamander to the left is one of h
is most famous pieces found in Park Guell.There are also churches around every corner in Spain. We were walking around Barcelona, getting lost in all the small side streets, and we came upon the Barcelona Cathedral. It was absolutely breathtaking! You can just see the amazing details of every part of this building. It's situated in a very cute square, with lots of different shops and eateries. Definitely checkout my Picasa folders for more pictures. Absolutely beautiful!!
Next, w
e made our way to another of Gaudi's famous pieces of work, and probably his most famous, La Sagrada Familia. It could possibly be deemed the most famous cathedral in the world. Gaudi began working on the cathedral in 1883 and died before the project was completed. It is still under construction and isn't expected to be completed until sometime between 2017-2026! Unfortunately, we got there during their siesta time, so it was closed. Note: if you're going to Barcelona, remember that things close from 2-5ish on most days (except Sunday when most things are closed all-day). Thankfully I was able to go another day, so you'll have to wait for that update. But I'll leave you with one of the pictures I took from the gates. :)One of the best parts of Barcelona is "Siesta". I love how they take breaks during the day to rest, go share a meal with family, and then they go back to work. For me it's the best time for a nice nap, because Barcelona has their meals really late in the day and also doesn't go to sleep until very late at night or early in the morning (depending on how you look at it). The clubs do not start getting busy until about 2am, and do not close until about 8am. If you know me, you know much of a clubber I am. Needless-to-say, I was in my cozy bed by 1am.
However, I would do my first night in Barcelona an injustice if I didn't speak about the yummy tapas that I had with friends. I went out with some staff and faculty out onto Las Ramblas, the major walk path (and tourist-trap) and had tapas and drinks at a place called Amaya. The tapas were very good. They came out on these lazy-susan contraption. It was quite tasty! We had tapas at around 7pm, which is meant to be a snack with dinner being served around 10-11pm. The meal times is something that'll take me a while to adjust to...but as long as the tapas are flowing, I think I'll enjoy the training! ;)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Straight of Gibraltar
June 22, 2010After almost a week at sea, we finally saw land today. We went through the Straight of Gibraltar, and as soon as students saw land, classes practically ceased to exist. So many students were out on the port watching our first major sight of land. So on one side we saw Morocco & the other side we saw Spain...both ports that we'll be seeing on our voyage.
We hit land in a few days and you can already feel the excitement in the air. The Living Learning Coordinators (LLCs...aka me) put out a big sheet of butcher paper out for people to start discussing independent trips, and the first sheet filled in a day. We put a second sheet out and it's already filled as well. It's hard getting and/or keeping students' attention on things with Barcelona so close!
I'm really excited about Barcelona, although I'm not sure exactly what to expect. I don't speak Spanish, so the language barrier will be most interesting. :|
Sunday, June 20, 2010
First Day of Classes
Did you see "You've Got Mail"? Do you remember when Tom Hanks' character talks about bouquets of newly sharpened pencils, that's what I totally think about on the first day of school. Well....today the scent that has overtaken me is the smell of the ocean air. Let me tell you...the scent of pencils will never do it for me again. ;)
This morning we were all awoken by drawer doors opening and closing. The ocean was very choppy and I actually had to resort to using the seasick patches. I was hoping that the Meclizine could handle it, but I was mistaken. I couldn't stay in bed because it was too rocky and I couldn't stand because it was too rocky. What do you do then?
Despite all of that, the students started their day pretty early, trying to make it to breakfast before their 8 o'clock classes so the dining halls were pretty full. They were just excited and still trying to get used to the rocking while the staff were still trying to catch up on sleep that they lost during orientation and the first few days at sea with the students.
Everyone on the ship is mandated to take a class called Global Studies. It's taught by Professor Bowler, who is extremely entertaining and very educated on the history of the Mediterranean. Because every student, faculty and staff is required to take this class, we have to utilize all the classroom on the ship as satellite rooms. It's a lot more fun being in the Union, so it's really funny to see students waiting outside the Union for the doors to open.
Tonight was also the beginning of the Explorer Seminars that I'm required to coordinate. During the time we are at sea, I am required to schedule programs from 2000-2100 (8-9pm). The programs are supposed to be academic/educational, something about our future port or a personal development topic. It's been a little stressful trying to figure out the process, but I think I'm getting a handle on it. Professor David Gies, from UVA is our Interport Lecturer...and actually will also be the Executive Dean on the Fall 2010 voyage. He is so well versed in Spain & Barcelona, that he's offered to lead 3 Explorer Seminars while he's on the ship (he'll be leaving when we get to Barcelona). We also have a resident clown. Quite the combination but all fun in the process. Thankfully this evening's Explorer Seminars went very well. Hopefully the rest will too! Keep your fingers crossed!! :)
Everyone on the ship is mandated to take a class called Global Studies. It's taught by Professor Bowler, who is extremely entertaining and very educated on the history of the Mediterranean. Because every student, faculty and staff is required to take this class, we have to utilize all the classroom on the ship as satellite rooms. It's a lot more fun being in the Union, so it's really funny to see students waiting outside the Union for the doors to open.
Tonight was also the beginning of the Explorer Seminars that I'm required to coordinate. During the time we are at sea, I am required to schedule programs from 2000-2100 (8-9pm). The programs are supposed to be academic/educational, something about our future port or a personal development topic. It's been a little stressful trying to figure out the process, but I think I'm getting a handle on it. Professor David Gies, from UVA is our Interport Lecturer...and actually will also be the Executive Dean on the Fall 2010 voyage. He is so well versed in Spain & Barcelona, that he's offered to lead 3 Explorer Seminars while he's on the ship (he'll be leaving when we get to Barcelona). We also have a resident clown. Quite the combination but all fun in the process. Thankfully this evening's Explorer Seminars went very well. Hopefully the rest will too! Keep your fingers crossed!! :)
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Arrival of Students!
\Tuesday, June 15 - Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The day that we've all been waiting for is here. The students came on board and we're finally leaving to start our journey across Europe and the Mediterranean. But before that happens, the students have to get onto the ship but there's been some delays. According to Canadian law (not sure exactly what law it is), there are required breaks and a mandatory 1-hour lunch break. So, when 12 noon rolled around, the entire port had to shut down. We still had students waiting to get up on the gangway and they were all stuck! We have such amazing students though. No one really complained, even though it took most students 2-hours to actually get on the ship. We've had a few people's luggage not make it onto the ship, but it'll be waiting for them when they get to Barcelona. It's been great to see the students all help each other out with different outfits. They're really taking care of each other, which is awesome! :)
Leaving port this time was a lot more celebratory than when we left Florida. The parents, ISE and other S@S alums were all there to see us off. It was very fun seeing all the students out. There were a few tears from the students, and many from the parents, but in the end everyone was happy for this journey to take off. :)
This day was filled with lots of information to orient them with the UVA honesty code, introduction to Global Studies, which is required of all students, faculty and staff to attend, and a lot of safety information from the Deans as well as our ship's Captain. Needless to say, they were a bit done when I met with them for our second Sea Meeting. I kept it simple and sweet....and we took our sea picture. I promise to update photos later, when I have a stronger internet signal.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Sunday, June 13 - Monday June 14
You'll have to excuse the delay on this blog. I've been trying to write down at least something once a day, but the Internet is so slow on the ship I haven't been too successful. So this update might be just a few days late! ;)
Sunday was another long day of training. It's crazy that our graduate students, Lifelong Learners and the Teachers at Sea program will all be boarding on Monday. The last day of training was also the last night for the Forum on Global Engagement. We concluded with a very nice sit-down 3-course dinner. Everyone keeps warning us to not get used to the food that we were getting during training. I'm a little afraid to think what exactly will be in-stored for us for the rest of the voyage.
Monday, June 14th
I woke up at 6:00am this morning to see the boat come into port. I was told that I should try to do this for every port that we come into. There were quite a few people on the deck, despite the damp air and very cold temperature. I can't tell you exactly what it was because I believe it was shared in Celsius degrees.
We had a good portion of the morning to late afternoon for ourselves so we all got off the ship (not a boat) and we visited the very charming city of Halifax, Canada. It's so cute.
After we went to the Purser's desk to return our passports, we headed out towards a boardwalk-like right outside the ship. People all wanted to try a "Beaver Tail" so we found a place that sold them. They're kind of like a flattened doughnut with many yummy flavorings. I split one with a friend, which was a good thing because they were huge! We got sugar, cinnamon & lemon. So yummy!
Afterwards
a group of the LLCs made a trip to the local Walmart to get some snacks and some essentials. I went to Walmart looking for a simple black skirt (I left mine at home) but they didn't have any. So weird. All I needed was a simple casual black skirt.... :(
Next we needed to grab a quick lunch, so we found a food court area, and one of the restaurants was a Kushi (Korean Sushi) place. I had yummy duk-bok-gi (spicy rice cakes). This will most likely be my last Korean meal before I get back to the states. Sadness.
Once we got back to the ship, we had to get ready for the parents orientation. Parents were allowed to come onto the ship the night before the students move-in to get a better understanding of what their son/daughters will be experiencing. There were a lot of parents that came. Each of the LLCs were asked to give tours to the parents, and I actually gave a tour to the parents of the grad student who will be helping me this summer. It was just meant to be, I guess. ;)
After the parents left, the LLCs went right back to work. We needed to prep our "Seas" with fliers, welcome letters and the like. Although it meant a crazy late night, I'm glad that we got off the ship, got into the city and just experienced it all. It would have been nice to be there longer, but it just means that I'll have to come back again soon. :)
You'll have to excuse the delay on this blog. I've been trying to write down at least something once a day, but the Internet is so slow on the ship I haven't been too successful. So this update might be just a few days late! ;)Sunday was another long day of training. It's crazy that our graduate students, Lifelong Learners and the Teachers at Sea program will all be boarding on Monday. The last day of training was also the last night for the Forum on Global Engagement. We concluded with a very nice sit-down 3-course dinner. Everyone keeps warning us to not get used to the food that we were getting during training. I'm a little afraid to think what exactly will be in-stored for us for the rest of the voyage.
Monday, June 14thI woke up at 6:00am this morning to see the boat come into port. I was told that I should try to do this for every port that we come into. There were quite a few people on the deck, despite the damp air and very cold temperature. I can't tell you exactly what it was because I believe it was shared in Celsius degrees.
We had a good portion of the morning to late afternoon for ourselves so we all got off the ship (not a boat) and we visited the very charming city of Halifax, Canada. It's so cute.
After we went to the Purser's desk to return our passports, we headed out towards a boardwalk-like right outside the ship. People all wanted to try a "Beaver Tail" so we found a place that sold them. They're kind of like a flattened doughnut with many yummy flavorings. I split one with a friend, which was a good thing because they were huge! We got sugar, cinnamon & lemon. So yummy!
Afterwards
a group of the LLCs made a trip to the local Walmart to get some snacks and some essentials. I went to Walmart looking for a simple black skirt (I left mine at home) but they didn't have any. So weird. All I needed was a simple casual black skirt.... :(Next we needed to grab a quick lunch, so we found a food court area, and one of the restaurants was a Kushi (Korean Sushi) place. I had yummy duk-bok-gi (spicy rice cakes). This will most likely be my last Korean meal before I get back to the states. Sadness.
Once we got back to the ship, we had to get ready for the parents orientation. Parents were allowed to come onto the ship the night before the students move-in to get a better understanding of what their son/daughters will be experiencing. There were a lot of parents that came. Each of the LLCs were asked to give tours to the parents, and I actually gave a tour to the parents of the grad student who will be helping me this summer. It was just meant to be, I guess. ;)
After the parents left, the LLCs went right back to work. We needed to prep our "Seas" with fliers, welcome letters and the like. Although it meant a crazy late night, I'm glad that we got off the ship, got into the city and just experienced it all. It would have been nice to be there longer, but it just means that I'll have to come back again soon. :)
Monday, June 14, 2010
More Training...
Saturday, July 12, 2010
The day started off this morning with training regarding working as staff on Semester at Sea. This consisted of talking about the wonderful world of social networks. Of the approximately 75 faculty and staff members, can you believe that I am the ONLY one with a Twitter account. I can tell you that I was truly shocked. Although I don't utilize my account very often at all, I couldn't believe it. ;) We were highly encouraged to not "friend" our students until our voyage is over, which truly does make a lot of sense. I'm sure that there will be plenty of groups that will be created through Facebook anyway. :)
Today's training was quite disjuncted because Chief Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's (or as the LLCs lovingly call her S-DOC) session was this morning. I hope that when I am her age, I can be as sharp and witty. She has an amazing life story and even better stories. It was such an amazing honor to hear her.
After the keynote address, and lunch, we had some more training. The ship uses "Maxient", which is a database for conduct. This form will be used for conduct as well as for students as they request nights off the ship. It's quite a versatile program, although they haven't used it for very long. The struggle I had with the program is that the forms are public. At UCI we had a similar conversation regarding public incident reports for anyone to report something. I think I'll learn more about the flexibility of this program once I have to utilize it. Can you all pray that I never will?!
Next we met with the ship's captains and officers about health and safety roles and procedures. Like any other ship at sea, the MV Explorer is required to conduct a lifeboat drill at the beginning of every voyage. So on Tuesday, when our students get on board, the ship crew will conduct another lifeboat drill. This time the other LLCs and I will help staff the drill. Should be interesting. I will make sure to take a picture of the attractive outfit next for a blog update. :)
Next we walked the ship with Joe, our Community Resource Officer. Joe is a retired LAPD officer. He will be on duty every evening and walk the halls of the ship. It will be very nice having some backup during duty nights. I only three nights, but we'll see how busy they will be. :( Joe has been on several Semester at Sea voyages, so he's very familiar with where and how students try to hide things. He knows every nook & cranny of the ship. His expertise will be very helpful to the LLCs. ;)
After dinner, the LLCs met with Jill, Lynette and Cindy. Cindy was the DOS on the last voyage. She came to the meeting with so many treats. We finally got to speak about detailed responsibilities of each of the LLCs jobs. I left the meeting feeling a bit overwhelmed, because it would have been helpful to have had more of this information earlier in the week, but Cindy and Jill helped relieve some of that stress. I'm a little anxious about my relationship with faculty, as I will be leaning on them most for one major part of my job, but I had a brief conversation with Dean LaVahn and it was helpful to hear his vision for these special sessions.
One of the highlight of my day was that my ship steward Auxilio converted my two twin beds into a queen-sized bed. I really just wanted to see if he could help me move the bed, but when I got back to the room it was already done. That is the best definition of efficiency. Thanks Auxilio!!
The day started off this morning with training regarding working as staff on Semester at Sea. This consisted of talking about the wonderful world of social networks. Of the approximately 75 faculty and staff members, can you believe that I am the ONLY one with a Twitter account. I can tell you that I was truly shocked. Although I don't utilize my account very often at all, I couldn't believe it. ;) We were highly encouraged to not "friend" our students until our voyage is over, which truly does make a lot of sense. I'm sure that there will be plenty of groups that will be created through Facebook anyway. :)
Today's training was quite disjuncted because Chief Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's (or as the LLCs lovingly call her S-DOC) session was this morning. I hope that when I am her age, I can be as sharp and witty. She has an amazing life story and even better stories. It was such an amazing honor to hear her. After the keynote address, and lunch, we had some more training. The ship uses "Maxient", which is a database for conduct. This form will be used for conduct as well as for students as they request nights off the ship. It's quite a versatile program, although they haven't used it for very long. The struggle I had with the program is that the forms are public. At UCI we had a similar conversation regarding public incident reports for anyone to report something. I think I'll learn more about the flexibility of this program once I have to utilize it. Can you all pray that I never will?!
Next we met with the ship's captains and officers about health and safety roles and procedures. Like any other ship at sea, the MV Explorer is required to conduct a lifeboat drill at the beginning of every voyage. So on Tuesday, when our students get on board, the ship crew will conduct another lifeboat drill. This time the other LLCs and I will help staff the drill. Should be interesting. I will make sure to take a picture of the attractive outfit next for a blog update. :)
Next we walked the ship with Joe, our Community Resource Officer. Joe is a retired LAPD officer. He will be on duty every evening and walk the halls of the ship. It will be very nice having some backup during duty nights. I only three nights, but we'll see how busy they will be. :( Joe has been on several Semester at Sea voyages, so he's very familiar with where and how students try to hide things. He knows every nook & cranny of the ship. His expertise will be very helpful to the LLCs. ;)
After dinner, the LLCs met with Jill, Lynette and Cindy. Cindy was the DOS on the last voyage. She came to the meeting with so many treats. We finally got to speak about detailed responsibilities of each of the LLCs jobs. I left the meeting feeling a bit overwhelmed, because it would have been helpful to have had more of this information earlier in the week, but Cindy and Jill helped relieve some of that stress. I'm a little anxious about my relationship with faculty, as I will be leaning on them most for one major part of my job, but I had a brief conversation with Dean LaVahn and it was helpful to hear his vision for these special sessions.
One of the highlight of my day was that my ship steward Auxilio converted my two twin beds into a queen-sized bed. I really just wanted to see if he could help me move the bed, but when I got back to the room it was already done. That is the best definition of efficiency. Thanks Auxilio!!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
First Day of Training
Friday, July 11, 2010
So this morning I bolted out of bed because my alarm didn't go off. I later found out that while my phone had reconfigured to Eastern Standard Time, my iPod is not as intelligent. It was still on California time and so at approximately 7:15am (EST) I jumped out of bed for a 8:00am meeting. It would not be a good thing to be late for the first meeting with the Executive Dean.
At our first training meeting all the faculty, staff, and International Shipboard Education (ISE) staff were introduced before we spoke about Cultural Awareness and Ethics of Experiential Global Education. Before the students leave the Halifax port, the ISE staff want to have a talk about some of the ethics and appropriate mindset students should have as they're entering all these different conversations. All the faculty are paired up with a staff member to lead the discussion, so it should be interesting. :)
Next, we had the opportunity to hear Julian Bond speak. All I could say about that experience is AMAZING! He is such a dynamic and captivating speaker. He was also gracious enough to pose for pictures. I don't think many people can say that they've been this close to Julian Bond. Well, except the other couple hundred people on the ship right now. :)
My fellow LLCs and I have been enjoying our lunches on the deck of the main dining room. With a view like this, it's hard to imagine why. It also helps us warm up from our meetings, because the rooms are freezing. I am now regretting not bringing a thicker jacket, but of course that means I HAVE to buy a sweatshirt here. Tough....
After lunch, all the faculty and staff met regarding the Field Programs that S@S coordinates as well as announce the trip leaders. If you volunteer to be a trip leader for any of the different field programs, and are selected, you are able to attend these trips for a significant discount. Sometimes the trips are even free, depending upon the cost of the actual trip. I found out that I am going to be the trip leader for the cooking class that I'm scheduled for while I'm in Italy. I can't wait!!
Later this evening we had the opportunity to screen "Beyond the Call" with the director Adrian Belic. He documented these three men as they go out to provide medical aid and support to the most remote and dangerous parts of the world. They specifically go to countries where no one else will go due to safety and security. I highly recommend anyone to see it! The director Adrian, who is an alum of S@S, is extremely humble of the work he's produced. What an amazing way to end the night.
So this morning I bolted out of bed because my alarm didn't go off. I later found out that while my phone had reconfigured to Eastern Standard Time, my iPod is not as intelligent. It was still on California time and so at approximately 7:15am (EST) I jumped out of bed for a 8:00am meeting. It would not be a good thing to be late for the first meeting with the Executive Dean.
At our first training meeting all the faculty, staff, and International Shipboard Education (ISE) staff were introduced before we spoke about Cultural Awareness and Ethics of Experiential Global Education. Before the students leave the Halifax port, the ISE staff want to have a talk about some of the ethics and appropriate mindset students should have as they're entering all these different conversations. All the faculty are paired up with a staff member to lead the discussion, so it should be interesting. :)
Next, we had the opportunity to hear Julian Bond speak. All I could say about that experience is AMAZING! He is such a dynamic and captivating speaker. He was also gracious enough to pose for pictures. I don't think many people can say that they've been this close to Julian Bond. Well, except the other couple hundred people on the ship right now. :) My fellow LLCs and I have been enjoying our lunches on the deck of the main dining room. With a view like this, it's hard to imagine why. It also helps us warm up from our meetings, because the rooms are freezing. I am now regretting not bringing a thicker jacket, but of course that means I HAVE to buy a sweatshirt here. Tough....
After lunch, all the faculty and staff met regarding the Field Programs that S@S coordinates as well as announce the trip leaders. If you volunteer to be a trip leader for any of the different field programs, and are selected, you are able to attend these trips for a significant discount. Sometimes the trips are even free, depending upon the cost of the actual trip. I found out that I am going to be the trip leader for the cooking class that I'm scheduled for while I'm in Italy. I can't wait!!
Later this evening we had the opportunity to screen "Beyond the Call" with the director Adrian Belic. He documented these three men as they go out to provide medical aid and support to the most remote and dangerous parts of the world. They specifically go to countries where no one else will go due to safety and security. I highly recommend anyone to see it! The director Adrian, who is an alum of S@S, is extremely humble of the work he's produced. What an amazing way to end the night.
Friday, June 11, 2010
And we're off!
Wow! I keep pinching myself to see if I'm really here and I think it's finally sinking in. People have warned me that the internet is going to be really slow on the ship. Unfortunately, they're right. So while I'd like to update my blog daily, the reality is that it might be a little less frequent than that. We'll see. :)
So, what has happened so far. At approximately 1:30pm yesterday, I made my way to Port Everglade and boarded the MV Explorer. It is a beautiful ship! Soon I was greeted by many of the other Living Learning Coordinators (LLCs). Kevin offered to help me with my bags, because the elevator was not accessible to us. I should have warned Kevin that Virgin America allows bags to weigh upto 70lbs and mine weighed a hefty 68.5lb. He was a trooper though. Thanks Kevin!
I literally dropped my luggage and headed back to Tymitz Square (where a lot of the administrative duties take place & where the Purser is) and we decided to tour our home for the next 2-1/2 months.
It was a rough agenda. Meet & greets...snacks...welcome reception with free wine (I didn't partake though)...then dinner. While the LLC team were hanging out on the fifth deck, we noticed that Sandra Day O'Connor, whom the LLCs have lovingly nicknamed S-DOC, was at the table next to us. We tried, in our most creepiest way possible, to take pictures of ourselves with her in the background. We later found out that she didn't mind taking a picture with us. ;) I should mention that while we are traveling to Halifax to pick-up the students, there is a special forum on global engagement that Julian Bond and Sandra Day O'Connor are speaking at. Not many people can say that they've shared meals and conversations with these two extraordinary individuals...but I can! :)
We had the traditional Lifeboat Drill and then at approximately 2300 (11:00pm), we left port. Now, I've never been on a ship before and I've seen a lot of cruise departures on TV, but this wasn't one of those moments. We began to move and no one said anything. There was no shouting, no confetti, no loud music. What kind of Bon Voyage is this?! The moment quickly passed as our boat successfully made a three-point turn to avoid the Dole cargo ship that was blocking our way. Nicely done Captain!
Then it was off to bed for preparation for the first day of training. YAY!
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