Always I feel there are two souvenirs of any trip that are worth keeping: The memories you make, The people you meet. Memories can be refreshed by your notes and photos but keeping the people requires a bit more effort! You may pick up a knick knack like a little dancing donkey from Santorini but it is only to remind you of the memories and the people. Yes, you will never forget the sparkling blue dome atop the white stucco but what will even more come to mind the old woman carrying her heavy burden up the steep hillside. Maybe you offered her help or maybe you just wondered why does she live like this. Whatever you thought or did, it has sparked a human connectioin for you that will act as a reminder or memory which going forward influences your being. Memory is valuable.
People are valuable. I am currently traveling with my friend Carol who I met within hours of boarding my Amazon cruise a few years ago. We since have traveled in tandem in the Mediterranean, TransAtlantic, and together on land in England and now are sharing a cabin on Viking Orion. She happily but sardonically recalls how I invited her to join a trivia team but when the game was about to start I had accumulated too many teammates so she moved to another team but we have been trivia partners ever since.
Today we met and had lunch with a couple from Portland, MN with whom we are traveling to Iceland with in August. We had taken part in a ZOOM call about that trip and casually mentioned this trip was before that. Of course, I tracked them down and once aboard here arranged to meet. Did you expect less of me?
Carol and I have gathered up four solo traveling ladies with whom we have had a couple meals and now are planning a get together for Mexican Fiesta this evening and for dinner at the Chef's Table tomorrow. We have exchanged emails. We may or may not stay in touch but just as I am writing this I have a message from people I met on a tender in 2013! They have friends on our ship today so we will be connecting before too long. As the Girl Scout song tells us, "Make new friends, but keep the old..."
Of our new circle of friends, only Carol and I went on to the evening show. So glad we did! It was the first time the theater was full. Sometimes guests do not give enough credit or respect to the cruise ship entertainers, I think. They are always the best of the best having gone through rigorous auditions. Once they make the cut they go through weeks of training for the specific programs. This is true of every cruise line. I enjoy them and appreciate their efforts. I guess people had seen 'guest entertainer' Mark Donoghue perform before and knew to arrive early to get a seat. Mark played a sort of mini guitar, piano, harmonica and violin. He sang a variety of music, including ballads, country, swing while playing. His performance of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah was amazing! Never heard it before as an instrumental and certainly not on a harmonica! And that Devil (who) Went Down to Georgia would surely have lost his violin to Mark Donoghue!
We are going to bed reluctantly because we knew the clocks are turning BACK 1 1/2 hours! Will we sleep until a reasonable hour or be up before dawn cracks. Good night.
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