Wednesday, July 15, 2026

I'm Ready for Dry Land


Dave and I were sitting in a lounge just off this foyer yesterday evening when I said to him, "I haven't taken a single picture today." As you know, that's pretty unheard of for me. But given that yesterday was another entire day at sea, I just didn't see much worth photographing. Fortunately I'd already taken the picture above on Tuesday evening, so I wasn't concerned about having something to blog!

Then I took the camera out on the balcony of our cabin after dinner, and took pictures of the unremarkable sunset:


That's roughly in the area of Siderno, on the southern side of Italy's boot. Now we're at port in Messina, and Dave and I will be back on dry land in an hour or two, ready for some walking and exploring.

Not that I didn't get any exercise yesterday. I was back on the treadmill in the gym, and I used the weights too -- another thing I haven't done in about 15 years! It felt good, though.

And I polished off another New Yorker, this one including a page-turner of an article about the Tate brothers. As appalling as it was, it made for really good reading. I think those guys (particularly Andrew) are narcissistic personalities at best, and psychopaths at worst. There's literally nothing redeeming there. It's terrifying that young men think he's a role model, though I hope he simply embodies their rebellious teenage instincts and they eventually grow to realize he's a charlatan.

Dave, meanwhile, took a tour of the ship, learning about all the backstairs operations, peeking into the kitchen and taking a look at the bridge. He's big on boats and boating, so this was fascinating for him. I have some idle curiosity about it all but I figured I didn't need to pay to attend myself. I just let him tell me about it!

6 comments:

  1. I would have found the ship tour interesting.
    I remember the trip from Montenegro to the port near Rome and the day at sea, and I was bored. It is rare that I can't entertain myself by reading or whatever, but I could not focus.
    The Tate brothers are Australian I think, but isn't Andrew at least, locked up in the East European country of his birth? I should really check. They are shockers, for sure.

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  2. The chandelier in the foyer is interesting in a creepy sort of way. It looks like an orgy of snakes or octopuses.

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  3. Not sure I'd want to sit on that seat with all the snakes dangling above!
    I'm glad Dave is feeling better so you can have some adventures ashore

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  4. Every sunset, every sunrise, is remarkable in that it happens, and we are here to observe.

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  5. That looks like Chihuly glass in that first photo. Gorgeous room and view.

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  6. Being out to sea is not for everyone. I know because my husband loves blue water sailing and I like sailing but also want a destination ashore. It does sound like you are ready to go exploring ashore.
    Your first photo provides nice views of the calm sea.

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