Have you flown recently? I’m old enough to remember the days when we dressed up to fly; it was an exciting experience, something akin to a great adventure. Well, it’s still an adventure all right, but not at all like the old days.
It’s been awhile since I’ve packed for a long trip overseas. I’m guessing that is true for a lot of you as well. And while I was a bit rusty, and it took me longer to pack than it normally does, I did finally manage to get it done in a fairly efficient manner.
I am one week away. One week before I take my first trip to Europe in almost two years. I will be flying to Greece on October 5th and joining the Azamara Journey on October 7th for her test or shakedown cruise before she officially re-enters service on October 13th. (I’ll be on that one too as a revenue guest). Traveling is different now, everyone says. There are so many things to do and hoops to jump through, right? I just don’t feel comfortable traveling overseas right now, say the doubters.
“And we will sail away on the wings of love into the night; Cast out our fortunes on the sea…"
The only problem with flying to Singapore to join a 14 day cruise is having to fly to Singapore......
It was with a little trepidation that I embarked on this journey. When I originally booked it, I was intending to sail with my husband, and any qualms I might have had over the location and itinerary were assuaged by friends who loved the region and the comfort factor of traveling with my spouse. However, his untimely death several months before left me wondering if this was the wisest trip to undertake by myself. Since close friends were booked on the same cruise, I decided to throw caution to the wind and just go.
As the 7 piece orchestra trumpeted the famous Kool & the Gang song “Celebration”, the staff and crew parade kicked off the signature White Night party onboard Azamara Journey. It truly was a celebration, as we were departing our final Norwegian port of Stavanger after an intensive 2 week cruise exploring this Scandinavian country from south to north and back again.
