#333 Summer is over

Our summer at sea is all over now but the stories.

The MV Explorer docked safely in Norfolk 75 days after sailing from New York City. The fall voyage soon departed without us on board and we are back home again in Charlottesville. After sailing twice on a Semester at Sea voyage, we can't help but think about the similarities and differences of the two voyages.

DIFFERENCES
On our summer 2008 voyage, we...
- Enjoyed calm seas. Library books did not have to be tied down once.
- Visited 6 new countries
- Norway, Russia, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Greece.
- Revisited 2 familiar ports - Dubrovnik and Alexandria.
- Changed our route for security reasons.
- Said “Well the last time we were in Dubrovnik, we found this great little restaurant right on the sea...” instead of saying “I have no idea.”
- Crossed the wide Atlantic without Kelly, my human map.
- Docked in our home state instead of half way across the country.
- Returned home wondering if Virginia has a "Back home again in Indiana" kind of song.
- Visited 2 museums, both called The Hermitage, a world apart...

The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Hermitage Museum in Norfolk, VA

SIMILARITIES
Despite all the differences in our two voyages, much remained the same. As on the fall 2006 voyage, we were...
- Blessed with responsible and fun student library assistants.
- Delighted to get to know our adopted students.
- Impressed by faculty and staff.
- Amazed by the accommodating and hard-working ship's crew.
- Focused on Dr. Seuss who advises, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Yours in smiling,
Mary