NOTICE: These blogs are running late as I post them. Also, photos may be attached or not. Bandwidth… They get uploaded when I have available bandwidth to do so. I’m keeping them in order, but the dates of posting may not be the day that the event happened. Maybe, I’ll edit the dates in when I sit down with a calendar. Maybe not. I’m not sure this morning, but I’ll keep you posted on that…

I mean, it’s so good to wake up and know that I have absolutely nothing to do today. It’s a “SEA DAY.” What a stupid thought that is to have in the morning when you wake up. I mean really? Nothing to do? Hmmm let me think about that… Ooops, I just did something.

I think the best example I can use right now is when I first moved in with Pat, my amazing wife after 25 years of marriage and 29 years of being together. I moved in and her daughter Stacie, well our daughter now, used to tell me how much work it was to get out of the house in the morning. Well being a guy, I said really? All you need to to is get up, clean up and get dressed and hit the road. I guess this just isn’t the case, and I was told so in a lot of words.

“No Paul, it’s not that easy. It takes a bit to wake up and then I have to wash my face, brush my teeth, do my hair, do my make-up, choose what clothes to wear, get something to eat and THEN I can hit the road.” Now that puts it in perspective. I get it now.

So I guess when I wake up with gratefulness and thankfulness and tell myself that I have absolutely nothing to do today is a complete lie that I’m telling myself. I need to get out of bed, stretch, wash my face, brush my teeth, buff my bald head, go potty, stretch and move again, make a cup of coffee then sit down and contemplate what to do next. So life is pretty darn busy on a sea day. No rest for this guy.

But they are sea days. I reflect a lot and do a little note taking, make a few lists, watch the water go by and do some walking. They are great days. Sure, there are distractions on a ship this size, things like maybe take in a movie in the iMax Theater or catch a show or two. I meet new people. I dream sailing and CellGrasp dreams. It’s all very good and realaxing to say the least.

So today I’ll do some photo editing since I can do that offline. It seems that the WiFi is running pretty slowly with the sea conditions. I understand bandwidth and 4,000 people on facebook as well as a satellite trying to stay connected to a blip on the sea. No worries. I can write. I can dream and I can live.

I guess I’d better get busy. Tomorrow is Gibraltar. It’s the jumping off point for us and we will be saying goodby to the mainland of Europe. On this fast paced, snapshot trip, I’ve learned so much and experienced the people of many places in the blink of an eye. It has shown me that I want to come back and spend some time.

I have a friend in MN that, about three years ago, decided to take a 30 day trip in September and with a backpack heads to Europe and engages the lifestyle completely. He has made this a yearly adventure in his life. Go Dr. Andrew Lucking, go. I get it.

So I’m going to play. Tomorrow, Gibraltar and a trip up the Rock…

Capt. Paul