Deck Fourteen
In October, I took a cruise for the very first time.
We started off in Venice and went down the Adriatic coastline
in Italy, Greece and then up to Dubrovnik in Croatia.
I very much enjoyed most of the stopovers
and the fascinating history behind the places we visited.
Of the actual time we spent on the ship,
my favourite space was Deck Fourteen which was the very best place,
and the quietest, to look at the scenery, to walk and to enjoy the view
or take in a sunset leaning against the railings.
The deck went all around the ship and was known as the
Power Walking Track.
I only ever saw one other person doing power walking
and very few people seemed to come here.
The most I ever saw were four others at the same time.
I could tell they were enjoying the peace, just like me and my travelling companion.
For those who love the hustle and bustle of life on a cruise ship,
there were plenty of occupations:
sunbathing on lounge chairs, the swimming pools and the jacuzzis
dancing classes, variety shows and sitting in the bars drinking cocktails
with live (very loud) music.
Because of the music, people had to shout to make themselves heard
and that increased the volume of everything very much indeed!
Maybe you will understand if I mention that we were around
3.223 guests on board and that there are 1.039 crew members!
Deck Fourteen was a haven of peace where we could forget just how many people
were on board.
There was no seating and no lounge chairs and that discouraged
most folk from staying here.
Perfect silence with just the faint sound of water as we glided forward.
Was going on a cruise everything I had imagined it to be?
In some ways, yes.
The overall ambiance makes me think of the first lines of a poem:
"Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence."
'Disiderata'
by Max Ehrmann
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