Close Quarters

(September 23-26) An interesting study in human relations, this gullet excursion. The challenge: close, sometimes very close, physical proximity for 4 days to 11 other travelers none of whom you have ever laid eyes on before. As in any forced encounter, some interactions fare better than others, but you know deep down you’d like all of them to work as well as possible since you’re virtually nose to nose with these folks for more than just afternoon tea. What this means, among other things, is putting up with Umete’s snoring a couple of feet away on the deck’s night time sleeping area, or Herb and Judy’s effortless (and, sadly, continuous) attempts at dominating breakfast, lunch and dinner conversations.

For us, the experience worked well, first and foremost, because -- with the exception of Umete -- all of us spoke English. Immeasurable barriers were overcome as a result of this good fortune. I mean, it’s not like we needed to immerse ourselves in Swedish or German to get by. Rather, bonded by everyone’s love for travel stories, an avalanche of information and opinions were the order of the day. Want to know what the life of a journalist is like? Done. Want to know the nuances of beekeeping? Done. Or, maybe you just want to know what it’s like to pedal your way through eastern Europe. Done. Even Herb and Judy’s voracious appetite for the spotlight could not disrupt this totally pleasurable atmosphere.

This may be a bit of an exaggeration, but we ate every nine minutes -- or, so it seemed. A wild pastiche of tomatoes, potatoes, nutella, bread, cheeses, pink deli meats, grilled chicken or beef, pasta, and the ubiquitous olives. Not gourmet, for sure. But, plentiful, tasty, and satisfying. The scenery is spectacular: mountains falling into the deep blue Mediterranean, a smattering of ruins, ancient castles lording over the sea from protected heights, and gorgeous sailing vessels dotting the waters. Swimming off our boat revealed to us not only how warm the water was, but how incredibly salty it was as well. We had floats and noodles to bask on, but, seriously, it would take more than a little effort to sink.

One last note: sleeping on deck was awesome. Lulled to sleep by a gentle rolling of the boat, you could try to keep your eyes open just long enough to take in the full moon and its beams traversing the sea like a yellow carpet leading directly to your eyes.

Not a bad way to end the day.