I arrived in Barcelona yesterday, and as I wandered around the city I felt myself pleasantly letting down from some of the stresses of my cruising experience. This is very far from “poor me,” and in fact is not even a complaint but simply an observation. Whenever I am in a public space on the ship, I am “the lecturer,” and though the majority of people onboard wouldn’t recognize me (and a sizable number probably aren’t even aware there are lectures), it is likely that at any given time, someone is finding me of interest to observe. Though I guess being well behaved is pretty ingrained by now, it is still a hidden stressor. Yesterday, there was no Cruise Laurel to be, and it felt good.
Another wonderful thing is that it doesn’t matter what time it is. On a cruise one must always watch the clock when ashore, because the ship will indeed, and without hesitation, leave without you. Yesterday, I just got to drift, taking as much time as I wanted with everything.
Yes, there will be a bill every time I eat or drink something, and no one will pick me up at the door to whisk me away to whatever I have planned for the day, but this is a nice trade off.
In my hotel, the breakfast room is one floor down from the lobby, and it must also be where the equipment for the elevator is located. I kept hearing this sort of whooshing motor noise, and I got momentarily confused, wondering, “is the ship leaving?” Sounded just the same, but I had to smile, because the ship has already left, and I, quite happily for now, am not on it.