In the middle of nowhere
The best I can tell, we are somewhere in the midwestern part of the Baltic Sea, somewhere south of Norway. Oceans do tend to look a bit alike from their centers, especially with no visible reference points. There are no visible landmasses or ice floes to hint at what is under the rim of the horizon. For certain this sea is feeling really good at the moment. There has been no rain or wind during the past four days and the maritime air is a refreshing 61 degrees. There is not even the mildest of swells. No following sea. No chop. There is no sensation whatever of floating. Cerulean skies are making for rather pleasant wanderings on this floating city.
As bucolic as all this may be, I actually find myself working, paying attention to what I need to be working on, writing essays, lectures, and letters; editing, indexing, and archiving thousands of images. It is most satisfying to me, doing something that comes easily and well to me. During this timeout at sea I find I am tuning in and actually getting more done than I often do at home.
A timeout at midmorning found me wandering up to the twelfth deck to eat a gargantuan breakfast in the company of a retired English architect, Maldo, from London. We spoke a good bit about the interesting regulations that apply to building sites when archeological relics are found. Countries that have been around two millennia have such issues. We also spoke about how senior citizens really fare rather well in England.
Later in the afternoon at another break five hundred images later, I was on the bow sniffing a 22 knot breeze generated by the ship’s forward motion. I had an interesting conversation with a retired US Airways pilot. He was lamenting on how his pension had been destroyed by assorted corporate misdeeds. I was reminded of my need to remember the Lord is my shepherd and I shall not want. I will need to remember this especially after I found out what it is going to cost to do anything in Russia. Hard currency is highly coveted there and all concerned are making sure that the flow of it to the east will be maximized. It has been necessary to make some arrangements in advance and the fiscal realities have become a bit more self-evident. An ordinary tourist visa is more than $200.
We did find what seems like a grand experience for a reasonable price - tickets to see a full production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake” at the Palace Theater in St. Petersburg. We will see this on Friday July 3rd in the evening. It sure will be a far cry from my more usual doings in Anderson. It is my plan to spend that day photographing the Cathedral of the Spilled Blood. This astounding structure looks much like the fabled St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow with its fanciful gilded onion-domes.
It is interesting going to a distant place by ship rather than airplane. These distant places acquire a real geography. I am gaining a sense of place and perspective that never would happen in jet ways and aluminum cans attached to jet engines. A whole new region of the world is suddenly coming into focus for me. I now understand that Copenhagen is south of Oslo and that Copenhagen is two hours earlier than St. Petersburg. I know Helsinki is northeast of here. The exotic is suddenly the tiniest bit familiar. I am not too worried about familiarity breeding contempt.
It is just lunchtime there where you are and it is nearly bedtime here yet the sun is high and bright. I have always found geography and orbital mechanicals really cool. Cheers.
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