Hello again!
I have finally found some super fast, super free WiFi and have added more photos (mostly unedited) to my Facebook albums. I have also included links to those albums for those of you who do not have a Facebook account. The links are on the right hand side of my blog page. You should still be able to view the photos without needing to set-up a Facebook account. But please let me know if that is not the case!
~Emily
October 22, 2014
October 18, 2014
Update from the Mediterranean!
Hello family and friends!
I know I have been away for quite some time and I apologize for the very sparse updates thus far. This has become quite a whirlwind voyage and we just hit our 1/2 way mark. To date we have visited 11 ports (11 countries) and are now en route back to Spain. We just finished up 4 days in Italy (which was AMAZING) and are motoring toward Barcelona as I type this. We have only 4 countries left to visit in almost the same amount of time, which means many days at sea until the end of the voyage.
We will be in Barcelona for four days and then we are headed across the Atlantic to Brazil. We have a 14 day crossing (yikes) which will likely prove to be very eventful (but hopefully not too much so) and will also allow everyone to catch up on sleep, laundry, school work, emails, BLOG POSTS, etc... It's been difficult getting into any kind of routine since all of our stops have been so close together.
The medical clinic has been keeping Dr. Mark and me very busy the last couple of weeks. We had one round of a cold virus early on and have been battling round #2 more recently. I've probably diagnosed 700,982 cases of viral upper respiratory infections and sore throats and spent the rest of the time killing 700,981 rumors of a rampant strep infection aboard the ship. We did have a moderate amount of GI illness after Morocco which fortunately was well controlled and contained and has pretty much disappeared. We've had one shoulder dislocation with successful relocation aboard the ship (without moderate sedation...thank you free weights!). One student underwent an appendectomy in Spain and is back aboard having recovered fully and without any complications. We've had many ankle sprains (basketball and soccer on a moving ship is not the brightest idea), one foot fracture, multiple dental issues with dental referrals in port. Psychiatric illness and ADHD abound but everyone seems to be stabilized on their medications.
(Observed) acute alcohol intoxication has been quite low however there are the repeat offenders which you would expect in a population of 800. However I think that several of the faculty members indulge quite heavily on a regular basis, they just aren't quite so obvious about it. Fortunately no one has ended up hospitalized or with any serious repercussions as a result.
All in all, it has been rather boring from a medical perspective which I suppose is a good thing. I have gotten great practice looking in ears and throats, diagnosing (or at least examining) rashes and bites of various sorts. Physical manifestations of fatigue and homesickness are becoming more obvious, however I am concerned for the beginning of influenza season...and of course Ebola. Since we will not be traveling to Western Africa as planned, we have decreased our possibility of exposure significantly; however, we are coming up on Spain and students plan on traveling to Madrid. Fingers crossed it will continue to remain an uneventful medical voyage :)
On a personal level, the voyage has been going fairly well. Like always it has it's ups and downs which is normal considering the constant closeness in which we all work, eat, exercise, exist, etc... Some people adapt more readily, but it's still stressful at times especially since you're thrown into this situation with a group of very different people with different ideas, personalities, values, priorities, etc...
For example, I know that most of you know I am not a morning person, and on the ship I often eat breakfast before morning clinic which requires social interaction if even on the most basic (before coffee) grunting level. And talking to people before noon can be challenging for me, so I don't always want to have breakfast at 7am with 50 of my not-so-closest friends. I know, I know...such a tough life... But all in all, it's been fun and interesting. I have learned a little more about myself as the weeks have passed, and I have also come to zero conclusions about what I am going to do with what I have discovered.
Anyway...
Most recently I spent 2 days in Rome with my new friends Lisa and Mike who are great people. They are staff aboard the ship. We rented an apartment through AirBnB which was awesome. It was located just outside the Vatican and not far from the city center. We were able to see many of the sights of Rome while also taking some time to enjoy just relaxing in a quieter part of the city. But really, the best part was that it was situated directly above the most amazing croissant bakery that stays open until 2am! Can you say Nutella filled croissant overdose?!
I was on-call the first two days in port, so I traveled with three others via bus to a little seaside town, Tarquinia, just 25 minutes north of the port city where we were berthed (Civitavecchia). It is an old city situated on a hill surrounded by a large stone wall. The view was amazing and so was the gelato. We visited the ruins of Necropolis that were built around 500 BC and discovered late 19th century. It was a nice day trip and fun to see some of the Italian countryside.
Barcelona is upon us in a little over 24 hours. Semester at Sea managed to secure 300 tickets to the FC Barcelona footbal (soccer) match on the 21st, so we're going to that which should be a fun cultural experience. I'm attempting to arrange a half-day sailboat charter our first day in port as something different to do. It's supposed to be hot and I think it will be fun to see the coast of Barcelona from a smaller boat with a few friends. The rest of the time will be spent bicycling the city, sightseeing, indulging in Spanish tapas, sangria, and lots good food before our long crossing (which will likely end with anemic looking iceberg lettuce and a critical shortage of peanut butter).
After that, I will hopefully have some extra time to retroactively update you on travels in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Morocco. In Dublin a group of 18 students and I learned how to play all of the Gaelic games (Gaelic football, handball, and hurling) during a day-long trip. I was also educated on the finer points of whiskey making (Jameson tour) and of course indulged in a Guiness (or two). Four of us shared an evening of Irish dance lessons with a high school group from Austria, and Oktoberfest was in full swing in September!
I had the good fortune of meeting up with one of my good friends (and colleagues) in Lisbon after a day of biking the coast. Cadiz, Spain was beautiful and I took a day trip which included biking in Sevilla (which was equally stunning). Morocco was filled with lots of sights and smells (both good and bad), and I was able to spend an overnight at a Riad in the Fes Medina. Really fun and interesting.
I realize this was a very brief update, but I promise more to come. As of now all is well and I am safe and healthy. Enjoying the updates from the few of you who have written...the emails I have received (when the internet is working) have been much appreciated. I am not sure who exactly is reading the blog, but thank you for your patience to those of you who are! I hope this post finds you all healthy and happy and enjoying autumn.
Please keep in touch. Miss you all. Send mail.
~Emily
I know I have been away for quite some time and I apologize for the very sparse updates thus far. This has become quite a whirlwind voyage and we just hit our 1/2 way mark. To date we have visited 11 ports (11 countries) and are now en route back to Spain. We just finished up 4 days in Italy (which was AMAZING) and are motoring toward Barcelona as I type this. We have only 4 countries left to visit in almost the same amount of time, which means many days at sea until the end of the voyage.
We will be in Barcelona for four days and then we are headed across the Atlantic to Brazil. We have a 14 day crossing (yikes) which will likely prove to be very eventful (but hopefully not too much so) and will also allow everyone to catch up on sleep, laundry, school work, emails, BLOG POSTS, etc... It's been difficult getting into any kind of routine since all of our stops have been so close together.
The medical clinic has been keeping Dr. Mark and me very busy the last couple of weeks. We had one round of a cold virus early on and have been battling round #2 more recently. I've probably diagnosed 700,982 cases of viral upper respiratory infections and sore throats and spent the rest of the time killing 700,981 rumors of a rampant strep infection aboard the ship. We did have a moderate amount of GI illness after Morocco which fortunately was well controlled and contained and has pretty much disappeared. We've had one shoulder dislocation with successful relocation aboard the ship (without moderate sedation...thank you free weights!). One student underwent an appendectomy in Spain and is back aboard having recovered fully and without any complications. We've had many ankle sprains (basketball and soccer on a moving ship is not the brightest idea), one foot fracture, multiple dental issues with dental referrals in port. Psychiatric illness and ADHD abound but everyone seems to be stabilized on their medications.
(Observed) acute alcohol intoxication has been quite low however there are the repeat offenders which you would expect in a population of 800. However I think that several of the faculty members indulge quite heavily on a regular basis, they just aren't quite so obvious about it. Fortunately no one has ended up hospitalized or with any serious repercussions as a result.
All in all, it has been rather boring from a medical perspective which I suppose is a good thing. I have gotten great practice looking in ears and throats, diagnosing (or at least examining) rashes and bites of various sorts. Physical manifestations of fatigue and homesickness are becoming more obvious, however I am concerned for the beginning of influenza season...and of course Ebola. Since we will not be traveling to Western Africa as planned, we have decreased our possibility of exposure significantly; however, we are coming up on Spain and students plan on traveling to Madrid. Fingers crossed it will continue to remain an uneventful medical voyage :)
On a personal level, the voyage has been going fairly well. Like always it has it's ups and downs which is normal considering the constant closeness in which we all work, eat, exercise, exist, etc... Some people adapt more readily, but it's still stressful at times especially since you're thrown into this situation with a group of very different people with different ideas, personalities, values, priorities, etc...
For example, I know that most of you know I am not a morning person, and on the ship I often eat breakfast before morning clinic which requires social interaction if even on the most basic (before coffee) grunting level. And talking to people before noon can be challenging for me, so I don't always want to have breakfast at 7am with 50 of my not-so-closest friends. I know, I know...such a tough life... But all in all, it's been fun and interesting. I have learned a little more about myself as the weeks have passed, and I have also come to zero conclusions about what I am going to do with what I have discovered.
Anyway...
Most recently I spent 2 days in Rome with my new friends Lisa and Mike who are great people. They are staff aboard the ship. We rented an apartment through AirBnB which was awesome. It was located just outside the Vatican and not far from the city center. We were able to see many of the sights of Rome while also taking some time to enjoy just relaxing in a quieter part of the city. But really, the best part was that it was situated directly above the most amazing croissant bakery that stays open until 2am! Can you say Nutella filled croissant overdose?!
I was on-call the first two days in port, so I traveled with three others via bus to a little seaside town, Tarquinia, just 25 minutes north of the port city where we were berthed (Civitavecchia). It is an old city situated on a hill surrounded by a large stone wall. The view was amazing and so was the gelato. We visited the ruins of Necropolis that were built around 500 BC and discovered late 19th century. It was a nice day trip and fun to see some of the Italian countryside.
Barcelona is upon us in a little over 24 hours. Semester at Sea managed to secure 300 tickets to the FC Barcelona footbal (soccer) match on the 21st, so we're going to that which should be a fun cultural experience. I'm attempting to arrange a half-day sailboat charter our first day in port as something different to do. It's supposed to be hot and I think it will be fun to see the coast of Barcelona from a smaller boat with a few friends. The rest of the time will be spent bicycling the city, sightseeing, indulging in Spanish tapas, sangria, and lots good food before our long crossing (which will likely end with anemic looking iceberg lettuce and a critical shortage of peanut butter).
After that, I will hopefully have some extra time to retroactively update you on travels in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Morocco. In Dublin a group of 18 students and I learned how to play all of the Gaelic games (Gaelic football, handball, and hurling) during a day-long trip. I was also educated on the finer points of whiskey making (Jameson tour) and of course indulged in a Guiness (or two). Four of us shared an evening of Irish dance lessons with a high school group from Austria, and Oktoberfest was in full swing in September!
I had the good fortune of meeting up with one of my good friends (and colleagues) in Lisbon after a day of biking the coast. Cadiz, Spain was beautiful and I took a day trip which included biking in Sevilla (which was equally stunning). Morocco was filled with lots of sights and smells (both good and bad), and I was able to spend an overnight at a Riad in the Fes Medina. Really fun and interesting.
I realize this was a very brief update, but I promise more to come. As of now all is well and I am safe and healthy. Enjoying the updates from the few of you who have written...the emails I have received (when the internet is working) have been much appreciated. I am not sure who exactly is reading the blog, but thank you for your patience to those of you who are! I hope this post finds you all healthy and happy and enjoying autumn.
Please keep in touch. Miss you all. Send mail.
~Emily
September 11, 2014
Bicycles and Martinis
Emily's first theorem of international travel:
"The amount of effort and difficulty that will be undertaken in locating, doing, seeing, and existing during travel is inversely proportional to how difficult someone tells you it will actually be."
Me: "So what your saying is that there is a bicycle rental shop located just to the left of the main train station in Gdansk? And the gentleman you just talked to, your friend, says he has 6 bicycles waiting for us when we arrive?"
Hospitality Agent: "Yes yes. It is no problem. He has plenty. He just has no car to deliver them to the ship."
Me: "Ok. So we don't need to go to the other shop up on the coast? The one with the address listed on the website?"
Agent: "No no. He has a new shop by the train station."
Me: "Ok. What is the address?"
Agent: "Oh I don't know the address, but it is very easy to find. Very easy. Just to the left of the train station. The main station. You just walk through the town to the train station and you will see it. Can't miss it. Big sign. Big sign with a bicycle."
Me: "Um, ok. And he will be open all day?"
Agent: "Yes yes. It's easy. Very easy. He's expecting you."
Thus began our Gdansk walkabout and quest to rent bicycles for a ride up the coast to a little seaside resort called Sopot. Little did we know one of the biggest adventures of the day would be finding the bicycle shop. Easy. Very Easy...
It began with six of us running off the ship to catch the shuttle bus to Gdansk from the port.The shuttle, running (in theory) only every 30-45 minutes was necessary because our ship seems to have a magnetic attraction to industrial working ports, not cruise ship terminals. Rumor has it that it's much cheaper to berth in the industrial areas for multiple days. My theory is that it's because she is shy since she is considerably smaller than most ships. Either way, walking to the city center would have involved crossing train tracks, the equivalent of an interstate highway, a couple of chain link fences, and what appeared to be Polish crack houses.
Anyway, we managed to squeeze onto the shuttle, standing room only, for the 20 minute ride to our drop-off point. So the drop off point turned out to be about a 20-30 minute walk from the train station. No big deal. Easy, easy, right? Well of course, armed with our trusty tourist maps, we were able to locate the main train station which is bordered by a park, a church, a large bus station, and a shopping center. Easy easy. So after navigating the underground tunnels, the bus station, and asking for directions using our best charades we were pointed in the direction of the KFC. "It is about 100 meters to the right of the KFC." Ok, cool. Well just to the right of the KFC is a boarded up brick building. And to the right of that is the police station. And to the right of that is a park and a bridge. But no bicycle shop. No sign. Three times on three separate occasions we asked and got the same answer. So we kept investigating, right, left, McDonalds, the park. NO luck. We started tapping on the brick walls and examining the sidewalk for magical trap doors! Nothing.
"Maybe it was only here for holiday," one local said. Hmmm. Now to put this in perspective, we had cased the entire area for almost two hours before we found wifi and were able to locate the bike shop. The BIG bicycle sign was actually a small sign, on a gate, partially hidden by ivy. And the bicycle shop was tucked around the corner of a nondescript brick building. No one in front. No bicycles out front. ARGGGGGH!
Well we got the last six bicycles. One of the chains derailed within the first 5 minutes. We were able to fix it. Most of the bicycles shifted gears of their own free will and made noises not reproducible by a human. They were all bikes that had the kind of brakes that engaged when you pedaled backwards. I haven't been on a bike like that since I was 6, and this nearly caused a major accident on multiple occasions. However, we all managed to stay upright and intact the entire day. The bicycles also managed to stay in one piece, but we were probably 5 minutes from a major meltdown when we finally returned them six hours later.
Alas, the ride to Sopot was gorgeous. 18 miles roundtrip. And although the rental bikes in Poland leave a lot to be desired, the bike paths are amazing and abundant! We ate a full lunch of perogies and ice cream, spent some time on the beach and the longest wooden pier in the world. It was definitely worth the effort and it has inspired me to try and rent bicycles in each port. Unfortunately we were rained out in our attempts in Germany. But it is a fun way to get exercise and see a city.
___________
Emily's second theorem of international travel:
"Stick to the menu."
So after our long day of biking and walking, four of us found a riverside restaurant that advertised martinis. They had a nice selection of cheese and bruschetta and we thought it would be a great ending to a great day. So I ordered a Grey Goose martini, extra dirty, extra olives. Following suit, two of the other guys with me ordered the same and one ordered red wine. WELL...apparently in Poland no one has EVER ordered a dirty martini. And apparently martinis only come in 4 flavors. Dry, and three other kinds I've never hear of. But they had olives, so I thought it would be EASY EASY to have the bartender make it. I explained that it was just vodka, olive juice, and olives.
"ok, no problem," says the server.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS!
The "martinis" arrived at our table in champagne flutes with floating olives. I think there was the equivalent of a shot of vodka in each glass and the rest was olive juice...<insert pucker face here>. It was hilarious.
So I went over to the bar and asked the bartender for martini glasses and then tried to explain that we just wanted vodka martinis with olive juice and could I get three martini glasses and some extra vodka to dilute the jar of olive juice in our glasses...so after an exacerbated eye roll, he ended up giving me a pitcher (yes a pitcher) of vermouth. Our martinis at the martini restaurant went from bad to disastrous!
Lesson learned. Stick to the menu.
I sheepishly sipped my olive juice while suffering a nearly instantaneous swelling of my limbs (reminiscent of the stay-puffed marshmallow man)...my penance.
So I will close by saying that Poland, while beautiful, friendly, and peaceful in nature, was merciless in re-teaching me some hard travel lessons. But I will forever be grateful to her and the people of the country for how kindly and perfectly they delivered when I just followed the rules!
Until next time...
Na Zdrowie!
(Cheers!)
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