May 15 - Fiumicino Airport, Rome

Well, the cruise  is over and here I sit in the Rome airport.  It’s as big a zoo as I remembered it to be the few times I’ve been here before. The only saving grace is that the people working here are quite charming even though it takes them forever to get things done.

So what happened the last couple of days?  Not much.  I didn’t go ashore in either Calvi, Corsica or Olbia, Sardinia.  Depending on to whom I spoke I either didn’t miss anything or it was the most fantastic place in the world.  That’s always the way it is.  I spent the time sleeping late, catching up on the blog, talking with friends, and playing trivia. Add to that the usual cruise things (eating and drinking and a little dancing) and the days seemed full.  Packing is the easiest thing to do because you know everything in the cabin has to go in the suitcases.

This has been a wonderful cruise in most respects.  The crew seems to be the happiest I’ve encountered in my last few cruises. Their attitude comes through in the smiles and eagerness to meet your every need.  The food seems to have been better than it has been on some of my voyages and I don’t know if that’s because there’s a difference in food quality or if it’s execution of the recipes.  On this cruise the chef also did a lot of local shopping as we went along, so there were always fresh things to try.  The fish especially was excellent. 

I also have decided that despite the fact that I have a soft spot for the Seabourn Quest because it was on her that we did our first Seabourn cruise, I really do like the slighter larger Ovation and her sister the Encore.  On the latter two there is the Solis piano lounge which in my opinion is the most pleasant place on the ship for a drink before or after dinner.

One thing that I did miss a little on this voyage is sharing it with many of my friends.  My English friend Hilary was the only one of my circle of widows that I’ve come to know who was on and she was only on board for ten days.  Another friend Lisa was here but she’s traveling with her husband and naturally spends more time with him.  I did meet some lovely new couples with whom I’ll stay in touch.  There were only a few people whom I met that I truly hope I never meet again.

My next cruise is a little way off so that means a lot of alone time.  I can say absolutely now that I know myself well enough that I know that the most important thing for me about cruising is the socialization opportunities it offers.  That counts more to me than the destinations we travel to. I suppose that makes me one of the women whom I encountered over the years that I thought were a little odd because they seemed more interested in the ship than the places it went.  I don’t mean to dwell on it, but I must say again that one of the worst things about losing your spouse is the loneliness that comes with the loss.

Anyway, that’s it for now.  I have future cruises booked but I won’t write about them until it’s time to sail again.  For now I’m homeward bound.