It’s been a long time, my friends, but Butterblogger has returned at last.
I know I haven’t posted since my day at the Genocide Memorial in Rwanda way back in September, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been traveling – it just hasn’t been anything I would consider to be blogworthy. You see I’ve been on a cruise.
Well, actually I’ve been on two cruises – Disney cruises to be precise.
I’ve never considered a cruise before this year. They haven’t appealed to me, but two extraordinary people invited me independently, and I wasn’t about to turn either of them down.
The first was a brief 3 night cruise to the Bahamas with dear friends from work. It was mostly a lot of fun, although there was a lot of costume wearing, as it was Halloween themed.
Allow me to be clear: I am not a costume person.
The second, also to the Bahamas, was a 5 night cruise with another group of very close friends from New York. We have shared a lot together, and the chance to spend this time with them was meaningful and irreplaceable in ways I can’t ever begin to express. When they invited me, I quickly canceled my prior plans for a week Taiwan, and have absolutely no regrets about that.
Although there were some hijinx on both, they were just personal hijinx captured in brief moments (and one special meal – but more on that in February).
I’ll be in the air in a few hours, but I want to give you my impression of cruises.
I see why people enjoy them, and the best words I can use to describe that are convenience, comfort, and predictability.
If you’ve noticed anything about my travels over the years, however, I rather enjoy inconvenience. And I like moving outside of my comfort zone. I thrive on the adventure of not knowing what’s around the next corner. I adore meaningful history. And when I’m able to wander the old core of a town, I can lose myself and relax.
These are things that cruises fundamentally lack and just can’t replicate.
I want to see how cities change and evolve as morning turns to day and then transitions into night.
I want to walk on cobblestones that date back centuries (and more).
I’m happy to duck into restaurants with surly waiters and characteristic decoration.
These cruises were places for families, and in that sense my presence there was appropriate. We all have the families into which we are born, but if we are lucky we get other families as well. Families with whom we laugh and maybe cry a little, and families who understand us in entirely new ways.
So even if cruises aren’t really my “thing,” in the years to come I might yet find time for other trips on the high seas to spend time with one of these families of mine.
But for now, I’m headed out for a three day escapade to Europe. The fare was a bargain and the temptation was irresistible.
Butterblogger is on the road again, my friends, and he is jubilant to put some miles on the soles of his shoes.
Where am I going?
Well, this is number twenty, and with only three lunches and three dinners, I plan to make it a celebration.
butterblogger 