JRP at Sea

Although our ship arrived in Cadiz, my first visit to Spain began in Seville, as we traveled there by bus for a bullfight followed by a tapas dinner on the first day. The bullfight was a truly cultural experience and unlike any sporting event I've ever attended in the United States. The crowd is dressed up and is often reverent, calling for complete silence when the matador gets on his knees, says a prayer, and the bull is released into the ring. We were fortunate to attend the last bullfight of the season, with two of the most popular matadors in Andalucía. There were several intense moments, some dangerous, when the first bull pinned a picador to the ground, and some ecstatic, when the matador loved by the local fans was carried around the ring and out into the streets in a euphoric and somewhat crazy scene that was on the front page of the newspapers the next day. Although I didn't have a crazy Hemmingway experience, drinking with the matador in a tiny bar, the ...

The delay in writing about Portugal is probably a result of being intimidated by what I know will be a challenging act of finding words to describe a moment that took 33 years to happen. Although I clearly should have visited Portugal already, and I once sat with my Dad at an airport gate unable to get on a standby flight to Lisbon, those regrets quickly faded away when I saw my Dad and Mom standing behind the security gate at the port in Lisbon. I was finally in the country where my Dad was born. I grew up with my Dad only speaking Portuguese to my grandparents, living in a Portuguese town in Massachusetts, with their home perpetually smelling like Portuguese food, with stories and pictures from Alcobaca, with Benfica soccer games on in the background, and a strong sense of Portuguese culture. My 3 days in Lisbon were in a way, very much like going home, but for the first time. Although I already had a strong sense of what Portugal was like, to finally be there, to see the blue and ...

Before going to Amsterdam I went to Bruges for a day trip with some other faculty members. We took the morning train and wandered the streets of Bruges, which of course involved a stop for waffles as we walked along the canals and buildings built centuries ago. The highlight was definitely the canal ride, as we passed under low bridges and viewed the city from a different perspective. The next day I woke up a little tired from a night of live music in the alleys of Antwerp, but I decided that going to Amsterdam was a priority. Even though I didn't have a hotel room booked and I knew little about where I would want to stay, I walked to the train station and arrived in Amsterdam a couple of hours later. The trip would eventually become a highlight of our Antwerp stop, perhaps because I planned so little, traveled by myself for the first time during this voyage, and felt a sense of accomplishment in how I made my way around the city of canals and bridges and saw as much as I did, bu...

Antwerp brought a welcome sense of unfamiliarity. The streets were empty at 10am and few places were open when we stepped off the ship to wander the streets. Locals stay up late and open up late. Dutch, French, and some German were heard in the streets. Mostly everyone also spoke English and delayed my eventual immersion in a country where I would truly be a foreigner in an unfamiliar country. Realizing people spoke at least 3 languages made me feel quite inadequate with my reliance on speaking English. I somehow managed to resist the first stop for waffles but my self-discipline quickly faded at the second waffle stand. (I proceeded to eat 3 more waffles during the week.) Wandering the narrow alleys of Antwerp, discovering a chocolate shop that served melted chocolate in coffee, and a big group of friends gathered together out in the streets for dinner and drinks before we all went different ways the next morning to explore different cities, some to Paris, others to Amsterdam, and s...

London baby! Of all the songs I listened to in London, The Beatles comprised about 75% of those songs. London was busy, so rather than reflect, allow me to list the reasons I left London with sore legs, despite the significant help from the Tube. Day 1 with Jacques, Emily, and Brett: Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, tikka masala in Kensington, and pistachio gelato, tiramisu, and pancakes with chocolate mousse and caramelized oranges for dessert in Chelsea (yes, all 3 in one night). Westminster Abbey was by far the highlight. I can't find words to describe the beauty, power, royalty, history, and inspiration inside those walls, not to mention the dozens of legendary writers buried inside, as well as historic figures such as Henry the III, V, and VII, and Queen Elizabeth I. Day 2 with a rotating cast of Jessa, Claire, Holly, Kim, Isaiah, Henri, Jacques, Emily, Brett, Kai, and Annalyn: Breakfast in Notting Hill, the British Museum, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, a be...

Driving across the country of Ireland was indeed a brilliant decision, but since I was the driver, I patiently waited for my first Guinness in Ireland in Dublin; paired with an Irish stew it was well worth the wait! A large group of us went out to the pub and I truly felt friendships developing and a growing sense of evolving together as this unique experience brings us together in a meaningful way. The next day I walked around Dublin by myself to quickly see more of the city before our ship disembarked. I attended services at St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral (I attended services for the singing and worship, but the clever avoidance of an entry fee is certainly another factor in the decision), and children in uniforms sang at St. Patrick's Cathedral, their innocent but powerful voices resonating through the high vaulted ceilings. I may or may not have had coffee and pastries for both breakfast and lunch as I walked around the Temple Bar area, Dublin Castl...

Our drive to the Cliffs of Moher and a stop in Ennis for dinner and a pub session resulted in a very late arrival at Dingle Peninsula. Our group did a great job of holding it together even when we slowed down to approach what might have been the correct street, only to see a sign for a burial ground. For the most part, we actually were on the right roads, even though at times we, or I, doubted our path. We were greeted by the Night Enforcer, a wonderful Game of Thrones-like name for the night security guard at the hotel, and woke up to eat crepes. I am very fortunate that my travel partners, Isaiah, Kim, and Renee, enjoyed food as much as me. We ordered one round of savory crepes followed by a second round of sweet crepes. We then drove to Killarney National Park, where we visited the Muckross House, Muckross Abbey, and Ross Castle. Pictured here are the remains of Muckross Abbey, a 15 th century Franciscan abbey. Tucked away by the lake in the national park, this abbey brought al...

I'm not entirely sure this photograph truly captures the magical power of The Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs are 300 million years old and 700 feet tall. We arrived on a cold and windy day with a soft Irish drizzle, but the sun found an opening between the clouds and the horizon as it set along the Atlantic Ocean, adding to the mystique of the entire scene. Our journey to the cliffs also added to the experience as we drove through the unusual Burren landscape along the coast, talked to a local Irish family outside their house, and navigated narrow winding roads. Since we arrived late, only a few people were at the cliffs. I felt like I could have stayed all night to watch the cliffs fade into the darkness. Even though I could take some pictures and take the memory with me, there was a sense of beauty that doesn't exist elsewhere, a beauty unique to the cliffs, and I didn't want to leave it behind. The visit to the cliffs also resulted in another unique experience; since we w...