Saturday, June 8, 2024

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Barcelona, Spain

Packing. A challenge even with two more suitcases. Geez.

We knew it would be hard, and saying goodby to a few of the incredible new friends has brought on tears. Emotional, even while we are eager to sleep in our own bed and hug our friends and family after six months. We’ve met spirited, adventurous new friends including some who live close to us, and become very fond of the crew who gave us excellent service with a smile daily. We’ve grown to love this ship. — like us, showing her age a bit but still has style and the power to travel rough seas and dance across the smooth waters. It is the right size for us; we’ve joined the Azamara cult.

A few statistics: sailed 38,856 nautical miles since January 5, 157 nights. Over 40 countries, 6 continents.

Wept at sights we’d imagined such as the Panama Canal, Easter Island, the Taj Mahal, Sydney Opera House, Pompeii, Great Barrier Reef and Victoria Falls.

Animals: koalas, sloths, kangaroos, wombats, penguins, giraffes, crocodiles, ostriches, Tasmanian devils, lizards, frogs, snakes, buffalo, fish, butterflies, elephants, leopards, lions, hyenas, gazelles, mongoose, hippos, baboons, white rhinos, monkeys, fruit bats, zebras, and on our last sea day we saw a whale!

Oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Adriatic, Tasmania Sea, Mediterranean, and more. Flora and fauna galore.

This journey was not about items on a wish list, but the itinerary was perfect from the start. We were not surprised the terrorist troubles near Suez Canal and the Red Sea caused the cruise line to reposition around Africa. So, we missed visiting ports in Greece, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey, and plan to get there someday. The African safari instead was more than we could have hoped, for planning it on short notice.

While we gorged ourselves on gelato, we also logged an average of more than 4 miles walking a day. We discovered tasty new beverages: French 75, Mumbai Hug, Grasshopper, Limoncello and Aperol Spritz, local beers and wines, Fitch & Leedes pink tonic, and Amarula. We munched on fish of all kinds, truffles and kiwis, Chinese, Indian, French cuisine, occasional hamburgers and filet mignon, but rededicated ourselves to Mediterranean diet.

We toasted Jerry’s birthday and our 50th wedding anniversary celebration never stopped — the marriage survived! Watched the Super Bowl, incredible live musical performances, educational lectures and gazed at the heavenly stars in the Southern hemisphere, crossed the equator three or four times. Marveled at numerous sunsets and took over 8,000 photos. Don’t worry, I’m cultivating a small handful of the best ones to share with friends!

We count our blessings we got to make this journey with each other in good health. It truly was an amazing experience and we can’t wait to go on another cruise and discover more awesome sights, tastes, people and places. Thanks to sweet friends and family who took the time to follow along on this blog and to my blog coach Chris Clemens who was there when I needed him and Carri Clemens for being my emergency contact!