My Gypsy Heart

So this blog is probably going to be one of the longer ones, as I have been running like a crazy person for the most part and haven't been able to sit long enough (while still awake) to catch everything up. So hopefully you'll enjoy this entry. I had forgotten the thrill, the excitement, the pure joy that is realizing you are in someplace completely "else". When we left Ft. Lauderdale on the 16th April, we began 6 days at sea as we took our time crossing the Atlantic. The days settled into a busy routine, and I enjoyed myself. I'd start out the day with the "knit and natter" group where I would watch them knit and other fiber art (since I didn't listen to the little voice that told me to pick up something at Wal-Mart in Galveston before we left), and just enjoy hearing stories and get to know some of the lovely ladies of the cruise. Then one morning I woke up, went up on deck, and saw land - and realized that I was in the Azores - a set of islands owned by Portugal. I had this wonderful rush when I realized that i was now in Europe, and getting to see this beautiful world. I spent a few hours in Ponta Delgada with my roommate, Chris, walking around town. It was the day before a major auto race, so there was a lot of excitement in the air. We went into the cathedral in the center of town - it was fairly nondescript on the outside, but incredibly ornate and beautiful on the inside. We went shoe shopping for her (sadly didn't find anything), and had a lovely lunch with an incredible pumpkin soup. We also ran into a ton of friends from the ship, which was a wonderful treat - that hadn't happened to me before, and it was great fun seeing people I knew in a strange place. Back to a day at sea, then we landed in Lisbon, Portugal on the 25th April. Lisbon is a beautiful city, but I saw little of it as I was an escort for the tour to Fatima - the second most visited site in the world where the Virgin Mary made an appearance. The drive to Fatima was about 90 minutes, through some incredibly beautful countryside up into the mountains. The town of Fatima is pretty much supported by the tourists and pilgrims that come to pay homage to the Holy Mother and her witnesses. The actual apparition site is now in a small building, with the shrine itself inaccessible to tourists. There is a small statue of the Madonna, under glass, that they bring out to use in candlelight procession on the 13th May and 13th August - the beginning and ending dates of the Holy Mother's appearances to the three children. In her crown is the remains of the bullet that nearly took Pope John Paul II's life, as he credites Our Lady of Fatima for protecting and preserving his life. The basilica they built is huge, and the plaza in front of it amazing. To one side, in a small area, they have a large piece of the Berlin Wall, showing the Portuguese people's dedication to liberty. There is also another Basilica across from the first one that was built to hold 9,000+ people because the first one wasn't big enough. In the original basilica are buried the three who witnessed Our Lady's appearance - they were cordoned off due to a children's choir concert, but I ended up following a woman from Ireland under the barrier and got to see it and take some pictures (and a couple of folks from my group followed me, and we were all very happy we got to see it). Just as we were leaving, the choir guy realized people were behind him and threw the folks behind me out! In Lisbon, we were docked next to a bridge that looks like the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco - and it turns out it was built by the same company. They call it the "25th April Bridge" to celebrate ending many years of dictatorship. The bridge itself was completed in 1966 and named after the Dictator - then renamed to commemmorate the day they peaceably overthrew him with the "carnation revolution" - all the soldiers that marched in the demonstration put red carnations in the barrels of their guns (the Portuguese flag is red and green) to show they did not want to use violence. On this roadtrip, I also got to see a 400+ year old aqueduct, that holds the world's largest gothic archway, Portugal has the oldest boundaries in Europe, and the longest bridge in Europe. Another sea day, then arrival in Zeebrugge, Belgium. As it happens, Zeebrugge means "port of Brugge" and I got to escort the tour to the downtown area of Brugge. We walked and looked for 90 minutes around this incredible, beautiful city, then took a 30 min boat ride on the canals to see the city from that perspective. By the time we were done I was frozen, hungry, and cranky, so I was happy to find coffee, food, and internet for the remainder of the free time. One of the churches houses a sculpture by Michelangelo, but we didn't get to see it as it was Sunday (28th April) and tours were asked to stay out to respect the worship services going on. I also saw the world's tallest stone tower (on one of the churches) and one of them also contained what is reputed to be the blood of Christ (not seen for the same reason as the statue). I had my own miracle in Brugge - while online, I tried to check my bank balance and got locked out by the bank. Not thinking too much of it, I went to buy chocolate and souveniers and postcards - and my card was declined. I figured, "Well, that's that!" and started to walk away - and was stopped by a passenger who recognized me from the ship - and she insisted on buying the few items I had selected as a thank you for my hard work on behalf of the passengers. I tried to refuse, and she wouldn't let me - I am so humbled by her generosity. Today, 29 April 2013, we arrived in Le Havre, France. Chris (my roommate) and I woke up a bit early, so we decided to go walk around the city centre for an hour or two before we joined our tour at 1pm. It is a small city center, and after an hour or so we went back to the ship. The tour we escorted was to Rouen, about an hour and a quarter from Le Havre. It is home to a copy of the Notre-Dame cathedral, and also the site where Joan d'Arc was martyred in the 1400's. I hadn't put it together in my head that it was the site of Joan's martyrdom, and was ecstatic to check off yet another "bucket list" item. Next is Southampton, England, and saying goodbye to many new friends and bringing onboard new passengers and new performers. It also begins my two weeks of intense light board training in preparation for my new position. Wish me luck!