One of the things that Tom and I have really enjoyed during our cruise is watching the sea change and the world go by.  The ocean is as hypnotic as a fire.  It changes from moment to moment.  The color, the waves, the peaks of the waves.  The ocean is different on sunny days than it is on cloudy days.  It is different from one side of the ship to the other.  All of it is infinitely variable and fascinating.

We spend hours watching the sea change.  Every time we sit down to a meal, we try to get a place where we can watch the ocean.  It is very soothing and calming.  Timeless.  The rocking of the ship puts us right to sleep at night and makes naps more appealing in the afternoon.

Tom and I have also spent hours watching the ship come in and out of harbors.  We have usually arrived at our destination before we get up in the morning.  But we usually leave the port in the late afternoon when there is still plenty of light.  We like to find a place where we can watch the ship pull away from the dock and then head back out to sea.  Each dock is different so it is fascinating to watch how our departures change.

Every time we leave a place, there are people waving.  I’m sure there are people on deck waving, but I am always impressed by how many people on shore stop to watch the ship go by and take time to wave.  It makes it feel like leaving their port is a big deal.  When we arrived at Guernsey, a volunteer at the dock said “Thank you for visiting our island” to each of us as he handed us a map.  It was nice to feel welcomed.

When we sailed out of Rotterdam, the ship had to move about 20 miles down the river.  We saw lots of parks and green spaces.  In each of them, people were standing along the shore waving at us.

Another sea change is the maritime traffic.  As we left Fort Lauderdale, there were lots of small ships moving in and out of the harbor.  Then, on the ocean, it was rare for us to see another ship.  Once we reached Ireland, however, maritime traffic got much busier.  Ever since Ireland, it is rare that we don’t see several ships on the horizon.  Many times we can see a dozen ships at a time.  Tom has a lot of fun keeping track of ships on his maritime traffic app.

We are enjoying our leisure watching the sea change and the world go by.  Sea travel is not a good choice for people in a hurry.  But traveling on the sea is a good way to slow down and be present in the moment.