After a frustrating 3 weeks in the States trying to negotiate the sale of a house I inherited, I was happy to get back to NYC to board my "home", QUEEN MARY 2, on June 1st. I had decided to go back to work, which was also frustrating - trying to teach English to adults who had no interest but had been ordered to improve - for 6 months and travel for 6 months.
The first evening, I was assigned to table 311 in the Britannia dining room. This had been .my table for weeks, with wonderful companions and I was sure it would be a letdown to I decided to go the first evening and beg off for the rest of the week.
When I arrived, there was a woman already there, a bit reserved but friendly. Then 2 men joined and shortly before we were to order, a third man came, tall, shy, somewhat reserved with a Scandinavian first name. Swedish or Norwegian? Swedish.
The conversation flowed and we all found ourselves comfortable with each other so I did not mention leaving the table. Towards the end of the dinner, I was asked what I did if I did not go to the shows staged aboard. I replied, "Dancing in the ballroom". The tall, very handsome Swede said that he liked to dance! Surely a gift from God!
Later, we met in the ballroom and spent the following 7 days mostly together - tea, dinner, dancing, disco with a live band until 00:30 and then we walked around the deck, at first to get the cigarette smoke out of our clothes and hair and then because we really liked each other.
He left the ship 2 days before I did and we arranged to meet 8 days later. Since then we have not been apart more than a week and do not intend to do that again.
After very careful deliberation and a stroke of fate which put a small house with a small garden in my path, I have moved to Sweden, although maintained an address in Germany. And, he has changed his schedule and we will do the 116-day World Voyage on QUEEN VICTORIA together.
Before that, some photos from April, taken at Santiago de Compostella. It does not count as a pilgrimage since I arrived at Vigo by ship and at Santiago by bus but it was definitely spiritual.
I thought this sign said no "flash photos" so I took the following. Later, I read the sign. Sorry.
