Day 94 ~ The End is Near…

Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey. 

~ Pat Conroy

We cruised through the Sargasso Sea yesterday and now we’re threading our way through the Bahamas to reach Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale tomorrow. We have to put our luggage out in the hallway this evening before we turn the lights out. And in the morning, we have to vacate Cabin 7009 by 7:50 AM. We’ve purchased transfers to the airport from Princess so no worries on that score. We’ll be there in plenty of time for our 2:30 PM flight.

Packing to go home is not nearly as taxing as packing to go on the cruise. There are no decisions to be made. Everything has to go.  Of course, we’ve accumulated some new stuff, but we’ve also used up things as well. It’s all  rather like a 3-D jigsaw puzzle, trying to get everything squared away in our 4 large suitcases, two carry-on roller bags, Backpack Herkimer, Roller bag Herkimer, and C-pap bag. If we do another extended voyage, I keep saying I will pack less—one large bag apiece.

No, I mean it! Really. I could have done with less (though I confess, I did wear everything at least once. I even used the duct tape I swore was just taking up space.) Oh! And I have to share my big win today. There was a pair of capris I’d been avoiding in the closet because they zipped and buttoned instead of having a drawstring waist. I skinnied into them with no trouble at all! (Must be all those extra steps I’ve been taking.)

Anyway, we took time out of our busy packing schedule to go to a cooking show featuring our executive chef and always entertaining maitre d’, Oscar. It was a subtle reminder that soon we’ll all have to start cooking for ourselves again.

We played trivia with our team one last time, and went to a final choir get-together. David Crathorne announced that he’s been asked to be on the 2019 World Cruise, so the choir members who are already booked to go again next year are thrilled. Choir is a big draw for lots of travelers. It’s been fun and so good for my lungs to do some controlled breathing on every sea day.

Sometimes, it feels as if this voyage has gone by in the blink. Other times, it’s like we’ve been cruising forever. I still almost can’t believe we did it. Living in the middle of a large land mass, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that so much of this wonderful world is covered with water.

Even so, we’re ready to head home. Our life there is even more precious to us now than it was when we left. We’re more grateful for everything—our family, our friends, our little dogs. And we’ll be happy to share our pictures and our memories of this trip with anyone who’s interested.

But in so many ways, it’s been just for us. The DH and I have had the most incredible adventure. Every day, each port of call, was filled with moments that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Things that have delighted, challenged, amused, or filled us with dismay, they blend into a kaleidoscope of experiences we may never fully understand, but we’ll be pondering them for years.       

(Tomorrow will be a full day of travel for us. We’ll fly to St. Louis where our dear #1 Daughter will pick us up. We’ll spend the night with her family in Columbia and then drive home on Saturday. Once I climb out from under the mountain of laundry, I’ll be adding more pictures and memories to these posts. Thank you to all who’ve joined me on this trip through my little blog. I love reading your comments!)