New York and Back

At the beginning of Chapter 1 we are walking up the gangplank of Cunard's Queen Mary 2, which is about to set sail on a return voyage from Southampton to New York. But before the ship casts off, I want to make it clear in this short introduction what you can and can't expect from this book, as I don't want to mislead or waste anyone's time. I am not going to tell you about cruise tips or how to save money - I don't even know exactly how much this one cost. I don't know anything about excursions, upgrades, or the differences between cruise companies. This is not an account of how to cruise, but rather an attempt at sharing how it feels. The purpose of this voyage is the voyage, not the destination. This is our third cruise. The first took us to Spain, Morocco and Portugal, which I documented in Through the Porthole. Our second, Baby on Board, sailed to France, Holland and Belgium, both on Cunard's Queen Victoria. What caught me immediately about cruising was the sense of mental freedom I felt. The open sea had hooked me. I didn't know why I felt so good. Initially I assumed it was an upsurge in energy gained from a new experience. Then I thought that it was just one of those times when everything seems to align or fall into place. Since those cruises I am certain that the open sea is the best place on planet Earth for me to feel more at peace and think clearer. Just by sailing away and having a break from incessant routine, densely populated areas, traffic jams, TV, celebrities, social media, politics etc., should bring a sense of peace to anyone. At the end of our first cruise it became clear to me that I felt better at sea than in port. So I said to Marina: "Wouldn't it be good to sail somewhere that took a long time and didn't dock almost every other day?" And so, because of that idea, my wife Marina, our eighteen month old daughter Aemelia and I are about to set sail to New York and back. Turn to chapter 1 if you want to walk the gangplank.
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