Our journey home

Ted. On leaving the Azores, we still had thousands of miles to travel. For the next four days, we were literally at sea and saw almost nothing. And believe me, we looked. We kept our binoculars by the balcony and I constantly swept the horizon for any signs of life such as sea birds, dolphins or whales. With the exception of an occasional ship, and beautiful sunsets, we saw nothing. 

However, we were never bored. Each day we were as busy as we wanted. We’d visit the gym, walk the track, listen to live music, watch a show, attend a lecture, savor a cocktail or enjoy a nice meal. We also found a lot of time to sit quietly and read. 

My favorite pastime was pickleball. The crew had set up a tiny (maybe 2/3 size) court that was surrounded by trip hazards and buffeted by wind. In spite of the less than ideal conditions, the space drew experienced players as well as curious first timers - some of whom got hooked and vowed to start playing regularly when they got home. 

It was always fun to bump into another player on the ship. One night, we were invited to join a couple of players and their families at dinner. 

We were honored to get to sit with John, Eller, friends and family

On October 29, we sighted land and came to rest at the Royal Navy Dockyard on Bermuda. We had been there before so all we did was stroll to the nearby “Glass Beach” so Judy could collect more sea glass for gifts. Then we popped into a bar for one of the famous Bermudan Fish Sandwiches. 

Judy also likes a Rum Swizzle

Everyone in the bar was watching CNN to see how soon Hurricane Melissa would hit the island. 

Returning to our ship, we learned that the hurricane would arrive in Bermuda in less than 24 hours so the captain ordered full steam ahead and we sailed due west for a day and a half - just missing the storm before turning southwest to Port Canaveral where our cruise ended on November 1. 

The adventures didn’t end there, though. Another type of storm had arisen and all US airports were experiencing thousands of delays and cancellations due to the government shutdown. Fortunately, our Delta flight from Orlando to Atlanta that afternoon was on time so we were able to catch our shuttle and have been safe in Athens ever since. 

We have lots of wonderful memories from the past 3-1/2 months and it makes me feel good that, years from now, we will be able to read through the archives of this blog and bring our journeys back to life. 

Now it is time for us to take a two month respite from travel and focus on friends and family. If anything interesting happens before January 1, when we fly to Asia for a three month visit, we’ll be sure to let you know. Meanwhile, Judy and I wish you good health and happiness through the holiday season and beyond.

Our front yard in Athens