Mile 31: Abdullah

A young man named Abdullah Elshamy, a foreign student from Egypt, regularly attends Writing Center Hours in the afternoons. He comes in with his class papers and diligently listens to me explain how he can improve on his ideas and his writing. He has come several times and by sheer luck, gotten me as his tutor every time. We greet each other in the hallways and at dinner and he seems to be a very well liked student on the ship.

Sadly, in Dublin, he left the voyage. In France, Abdullah put his bag on the top rack of a train while traveling from Paris to Le Havre. A little while later, he realized the bag was gone. In it, he had all of his money, credit cards and most importantly, his passport. We all know on the ship that our passport is our lifeline. The purser requires all of us to return passports after each port and avoids giving them to us so that they may be kept safe. Since Abdullah was traveling to Geneva, he had to have his passport with him. And, on the train, he lost it. He and his friends looked for it up and down the train (since it had not made any stops yet) but the thief was savvy enough to hide the bag.

Several days later, after many attempts to get another one, he was told that the Egyptian consulate would take 6 weeks to replace the passport. Since he cannot be without his passport for so long on this voyage, he had to permanently leave the ship.

The whole shipboard community came together and threw him a goodbye party. He was smiling with friends and taking tons of pictures. Everyone signed his world map and the crew made him a cake. He came and found me in the crowd and hugged me. I told him I was proud of his attitude. This young man then gave a wonderful speech to the whole community (the Union was filled with more than 400 students) where he spoke about following one’s passions in life and letting events take their course. He spoke about being a proud and practicing Muslim and the gift of so many new friends. He spoke as a wise man who had realized the true gifts he had been given – opportunity and memory. What an inspiration he was to all who knew him. The students took a group photo with him (he is in the center with the red/pink shirt) and we all tried very hard not to cry (I failed on that one).

I’m very proud of Abdullah and his accomplishments on the ship and in life. He will return to Egypt and hopefully take a few classes at his home university if they allow him to start a bit late. He will perhaps get the opportunity to sail on another voyage soon (ISE is trying to help him there) but more than anything, he will always put a smile on our faces. We miss you Abdullah!

Mile 30: Paris, the Crazy

My second day in France, I was fortunate enough to get a free SAS trip ticket to Paris on an architectural tour (so excited!). The idea behind the tour was that two professors, one architecture and one engineering, would take students around Paris’s major monuments; however, the day was quite depressing because of the many itinerary changes and lack of contact with professors. After a long drive to Paris, we arrived at Notre Dame. The actual monument was spectacular and the elements of French Gothic Architecture resonated with the exterior flying buttresses and interior statues and windows (the large rose one was breathtaking). But, the guide was so absentminded that he failed to notice a long line forming. He gave us a long speech instead of letting inside the church and by the time we got in, we only had 15 mins to explore. We clicked a ton of photos and when we came out, the guide had changed the itinerary; we headed to lunch instead of the Pompidou museum.

Jacqui, Ray and I grabbed some sandwiches at a cute roadside café (which had some seriously cute waiters!), did some souvenir shopping (I bought two magical scarves) and then rode the bus to our next stop, the Eiffel Tower. Initially, we were supposed to take the metro there but once again, plans changed (seriously!?). The traffic in Paris was so bad that it took us over an hour to get to the Tower. We had a guided tour of the tower and a reservation to avoid the lines, or so we thought. The Eiffel Tower was magnificent in its architecture and engineering but the guide moved through the structure so fast that he lost some students in the crowds and also didn’t allow the professors to give information about its construction. 
 

We waited in two 45 min lines to see the views from 2^nd floor and the very top floor. The views, as you can see, were breathtaking and all of Paris spread out in rows before us. But, once again, we had very little time to take photos (15 mins) before having to run back to the bus. Our final stop, the Pompidou museum, was close to Notre Dame so we took another long ride back to that area of town. I really enjoyed this ride, however, because it had begun to rain hard and the city seemed to be washing away the awkwardness of the morning.

A fresh start? Not really. When we arrived at the Pompidou, the tour guide stated that they did not have tickets for us and we were supposed to admire the place from the outside. The professors attempted to tell us about the structure, but once again were thwarted by the guide who interrupted continually. The museum was unlike anything I had seen before; it reminded me of a giant hamster maze. Finally, one of the professors paid for our entry into the museum to see the views from the top, since he felt it had already been a hard day (very nice of him!). Once again, we were there for about 15 mins before we had to head back to the bus and the guide stated we could grab dinner on the way home.

The guide wanted to leave Paris by 6pm but this choice, again, turned out to be a bad one because 6pm was rush hour traffic in Paris and it took us more than 2 hours to get out of the city (had this guide never been to Paris before?!). We rode another 3 hours back to Le Havre and stopped at a truck station for dinner (so annoying!). It seemed to me that if we had been given an opportunity to eat dinner in Paris and perhaps stay at the museum longer, we would have avoided this traffic and had a better experience. Students and professors alike were so disappointed by the day that none of them wanted to fill out evaluations. We finally did but I believe all of them were negative since we spent more than 8 hours on the bus, more time than in the city of Paris.

I really had no right to complain, since my ticket was free, but it was hard not to look at the day as a waste. It would have been more efficient to just go off on my own all day instead of being herded around and seeing sites for very short periods of time. On the way home, I listened to my ipod and tried to sleep, attempting to empty my frustrations. From my end, I didn’t really feel like I got to see the real Paris. It seemed like a blur seen through a cloudy window mixed with hoards of people and a very rush-rush attitude. I know that this is not the real Paris, the one everyone raves about when they visit, so I hope I get to go back and see it again with fresh eyes (rose colored ones). Can I have a mulligan?!

Mile 29: No French Connection

Ok, maybe a little, but not much unfortunately. We were in France for three days; we docked in Le Havre and then many of us headed to Paris and the surrounding the beach areas of Normandy. On the first day, I had bought a half-day trip to FeCamp and Étretat from one of my students. I thought it would be nice way to see the north coast of France, a place I may not get to return to again.

FeCamp is a small fishing town in Normandy, about 30 mins away from Le Havre, that houses the famous Bénédictine distillery. Bénédictine, a liquor developed by Dom Bernando Vincelli, is a magical elixir infused with some 27 different herbs and spices (including cloves, vanilla, orange peel, thyme, saffron, juniper, honey, etc). After the renaissance, the recipe for this liquor was lost until Alexander LeGrand rediscovered it in the 19^th century. In FeCamp, there is a Palace that serves as a distillery for the liquor and inside, tourists can see the production process and do a tasting.

We took at tour of the Palace, with its grand windows, gigantic chandeliers and gorgeous ceiling woodwork. Its many influences – Renaissance, gothic and art nouveau – were very apparent and quite beautiful. The entire place smelled like an old church filled with flowers and smoke. We walked through the small museum, saw some of the old machinery and bottles used to in the early years of Bénédictine production and then entered a small courtyard for our tasting. 

I took a sip of the liquor and felt like I swallowed a bag of brown sugar; this may be the reason so many drink it with brandy (B&B). The liquor was much sweeter than I imagined but the herbs and spices were nicely balanced so that no one element overpowered another. Overall, the distillery was nice but seemed to be a small attraction since we were not able to go into the larger museum area.

Following the distillery, we headed to the coast of Normandy to a town called Étretat. On the way, we rode up tiny streets of French homes and saw many cows in the distance. Étretat is a clear visitor destination for two reasons: the beautiful cliffs made of alabaster and the seaside beach resort feel of the place. We headed straight for the beach but the rocky shoreline (literally made of large stones!) made it very difficult to walk to the water’s edge. On the beach, we could see one of the three natural arches that have formed on this coastline. There were tons of sunbathers wearing very little clothing on these rocks. So this is where France comes to tan! We snapped some photos, gave our feet a rest and then headed back into town for a crepe lunch. My lemon crepe, which I thought would have lemon curd in it, was less than satisfactory. Still, Étretat was my favorite of all France locations.

Skipping to the third day (the 2nd will be in another post), our final one in France, I had plans to get some work done but I ran into some friends heading out to the 2^nd largest impressionist museum in Le Havre so I tagged along. I saw some really great works by Monet, Matisse, Renoir and Boudin (now my favorite!) that depicted FeCamp and Étretat! I really do enjoy impressionist art and it was a treat to see them. We followed up museum time with a serendipitous find – a cute French creperie that had the best egg and tomato crepe. We had sweet and savory ones (how can we not!) and then meandered back to the MV Explorer to make on ship time.

All in all, France did not meet my expectations but I had only spent three days there and I look forward to many more adventures in Paris someday soon. I think the word that comes to mind for France is Difficult. It was hard to speak to the locals (many who spoke English at first stated that they did not), get around the area (with loads of traffic) or even really experience the traditional cafes and atmosphere (because we lacked time). C’est la vie.

Mile 28: Amsterdam, my love.

On our second day in Belgium, I had decided to take the SAS day trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands. I had always wanted to go, having heard great things from friends back home, and so we made the 2-hour journey there. I was chosen to be a trip liaison (awesome!) and a bunch of friends – Megan, Dani, Debra, Josh, Andrew – were going along too. We chatted about our Antwerp experiences on the way over and then I gave the bus a short spiel about SAS rules before we set off. Immediately, I was in love. Amsterdam was filled with smooth reflective waterways, worn greystone bridges and tons of bicyclists. The day, around 75 degrees, could not have been more postcard perfect. Our first stop was a canal ride through Amsterdam in a glass top boat (there are over 100kms of canals there!). All of the students and I piled into one boat and clicked photos of houseboats, historic house facades, and striking gables. We were very close to the water in this boat and I could here the sloshing of the waves as the boat cut through the canal. Such a treat!

After the canal tour, some went into the Anne Frank house while a few others (myself included) opted to have some lunch at the legendary Pancake Bakery (my sweet streak continues, or so I thought!). The “pancake” menu consisted of both sweet and savory crepe-like plates the size of a large pizza. Mine, filled with cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms, was so fluffy and good. The pancake was light but rich in flavor and the compliment of the toppings made for a really fulfilling meal (the coffee helped too!). I had no idea Amsterdam was known for its pancakes, but I definitely recommend a visit there.

Then, we met up some Anne Frank visitors and decided to head to Amsterdam museum area that also included the famous IAMSTERDAM sign. We walked down the tree-lined streets made of cobblestones and I immediately got to talking with Debra about living there. I could picture myself bicycling to work along the canal streets and eating meals at small roadside cafes in the evenings. I could grade papers in a café and taking long walks around the train station area. I really liked that one could see the city from such different vantage points – on the water, by bicycle, by foot, or just sitting and people watching. I imagined my life there and I couldn’t shake the feeling that one day, this would be home to me. I threw the wish out into the universe and kept on walking.

We didn’t have a ton of time so we were not able to head into the Van Gogh museum (or any of the other ones) but we did take a ton of pictures with the Amsterdam sign. The surrounding park area has nice man-made pools of water, baskets filled with flowers, lots of mosaics and tons of people lounging around. On our way back to the bus, we hopped on a train and then walked past (and into!) a “green” café, aka a cannabis shop. It offered brownies, coffee, ice cream and other treats all laced with MJ. I had heard that such places existed in Amsterdam, but found it so odd that they were so clearly avoiding the marijuana label on any of the doors, signs, or windows. Instead, everything was called “green” and there were pictures of the plant everywhere.

Our final walk through town also included a quick paced jaunt through the famous red-light district, where business was ongoing even at 3pm in the afternoon. SAS people told us, very sternly, not to take any photos so we hid our cameras but it was interesting to see the red neon lights above all the windows and doors along the street. Finally, we grabbed coffee (and some free wifi) at a corner store before walking back to the bus. I took a slight tumble (must pay better attention) and twisted my ankle but the long ride back gave it a good rest.

That night, I dreamt of Amsterdam, of a life lived simply and with little need for more than waterways, famous architecture and a good walk. Maybe I loved the city because it was a beautiful day, maybe I loved it because of the great people I got to hang out with, maybe it was the need to spend time near the water again after living in Seattle for so long. All I knew was that I could be really inspired by Amsterdam, feel like myself there more often, really write something great maybe. Maybe soon?

Mile 27: Indulging in Belgium!

The night before we got off in Antwerp, Belgium, we pulled up to the harbor and were greeted by a slew of people yelling and cheering. Apparently, only 5 or 6 cruise ships dock in Antwerp each year because it requires a trip up the Scheldt River. The crowd howled and hollered at us and we cheered back as well – such a great welcome! We were so close to the dock that we could talk with some of them over the edge. Very friendly.

Our first day in port was very sweet indeed. A group of us – Dani, Alex, Josh, Megan, Melissa and I – headed to the city for breakfast. But, once we got there, nothing was open. In fact, hardly anyone was around at all. We walked to the City Hall square area and then slid past some side streets to the Lady of our Cathedral. We had the city to ourselves. We grabbed some pastries and coffee at a corner shop just opening its doors (fresh baked goods!) and then decided to go see the much talked about Antwerp train station. The beautiful station was designed by Louis Delacenserie and remains a central attraction in the area. There was an eerie green light coming from the top of the staircase and it reminded me of the green light in The Great Gatsby. I decided it was a sign that someone was pining for someone somewhere out in the distance. We ran into some other SAS folks, chewed the fat a bit and then decided to go in search of a waffle, because, well, you have to in Belgium right?

The Belgium interport students had given a really nice (and hilarious) presentation the night before about Antwerp attractions and they specifically mentioned going to the Smallest Waffle Shop. The problem was, it was very small and thus hard to find. Our noses finally spotted it and we indulged in more sugar – this time of the chocolate variety. The waffle was made to order, by Dani’s new foreign boyfriend Caesar, and its soft pillow center was a deliciously stark contrast to the crispy and sugar glazed edges. Oh man. I’d move to Belgium for the waffles, they were seriously that good. Hopped up on sweets, we went back into the city center and stopped into the Rubenshuis, the former home of Peter Paul Rubens, a 17^th century Flemish Baroque painter. The home had dark creaky floors and really low doorways. The rooms were filled with the artwork of his and his contemporaries. I find it hard to imagine spaces where geniuses once worked, but in that house, I could really picture him creating such lovely artwork in the studio rooms and the courtyard.

 

Next, we bought some postcards (and chocolate bars!) and then decided to meet up with friends for a 1pm tour of the Lady of Our Cathedral. This 16^th century church’s one spire (the second one was never finished) is 400ft high and its 40 some bells vary in size. The 55 stain glass windows on the inside are really beautiful and the afternoon light shown through across the aisles in brilliant hues. The church was packed so we didn’t stay too long but it was really nice to see. We ran into a few more friends and wandered once again through the streets until we hit the smallest waffle shop again, and guess who had another waffle? How could I not!? I know none of you will believe me but, the plain one was better than the chocolate. We took silly photos, hopped into some open shops and went to a really good chocolate factory (Belgium chocolate anyone??).

Our final destination was the view from across the river, via the St. Anna pedestrian (and bicycle) tunnel. It was quite a long walk, and after traipsing through the city all day, not a very welcome one from my end (also the sugar buzz had warn off). But, the view of the MV Explorer in the evening light was really magical. The ship really felt like home to me in the distance, one place of familiarity achieved in such a short amount of time.

 

That night we made plans to have dinner near the church and about 15 of us sat right outside the Lady of Our Cathedral church in an outdoor restaurant and let the evening lights spark up around us. I was in Belgium sipping champagne and starring at 400-year-old architecture – damn. We laughed, toasted some passersby, snapped some group photos and then made our way back to the ship. Antwerp was very very sweet – and a pleasant surprise.