“But I have a suspicion that in the
age of AI, real writing,
and particularly creative writing made by humans and
read by humans,
as an act of human connection, is going to become
more
important, not less.”
Anna
Founder,
Incoming Professor of Practice in Creative Writing,
Sydney University
“So I saw that there is nothing better
for a person
to enjoy their work, because that is their lot”
Ecclesiastes
3:22
Fresh from a January Caribbean cruise on Princess aboard their latest vessel, Sun Princes of the new Sphere-class cruise ships, we headed back to sea on yet another Princess cruise ship. This time, it was the Enchanted Princess, sister ship to Majestic Princess of the Royal-class cruise ships, a ship we liked very much when, a few years back, we sailed the Pacific from Los Angeles to Sydney. Sailing west to east was a first, having done an east to west crossing on a Windstar sailboat back in 2003.
I have sailed
on 15 Princess cruises, accumulating 108 days at sea, dating all the way back
to 1973 when I worked for Overseas Containers Limited (OCL), the commercial
side of what was then P&O. Loyalty gained through the years comes with
benefits such that, having sailed once on each of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
(RCCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), we now have a preference for Princess for
longer voyages. True, we have also sailed multiple times on Viking River and Ocean,
Seabourn, Windstar cruise lines (and once on a Ritz Carlton Yacht) but for the
grand ocean crossings, it will remain Princess for us for many years to come.
Port
Everglades, Ft Lauderdale, Florida is always a hive of activity. Whenever we
plan a voyage out of this port, we prefer to drive down the length of Florida
two days prior to the sailing date giving us two nights by the intracoastal
waterway. We aim for a room overlooking the primary channel and it’s been a
transitional source as we slip out of fulltime work and begin to unwind.
However,
looking out the hotel’s front door to see the Sun Princess “parked outside” was
a surprise but a pleasant one we have to admit as the hotel provided a shuttle
to the dock. On this occasion, our time before leaving home was spent adding
the finishing touches to our digital business publication, Nonstop Insider, so
this proved to be a timely break with what had been a particularly busy time
for Margo and me.
The voyage
itself would not be all fun and games though as our final destination was
Munich where we were to attend a conference and where I was one of the session
presenters. Given the topic was AI, two weeks at sea seemed to be the ideal
time to catch up on the topic. Artificial or otherwise, simply having time to
watch the sea roll on by is for both of us medicine that is much needed of late.
Then again, life raised its unwanted head and our resilience was truly tested.
As we waved
farewell to the pilot vessel and to the accompanying maritime police force –
security around the Port Everglades docks remains tight – there’s always
something very real when you shed all ties to the land. Two glorious weeks at
sea followed by a short flight out of Rome, heading to Munich, what could
possibly go wrong? However, in those first few hours after departure, we were
as calm as the seas surrounding us – time for the first cocktail of the
evening!
Watching as
we did, the world slide behind the horizon, has always been a mixture of relief
and anticipation. Margo and I have been participants in many life-changing
moments. From moving house – we have continuously further east it would seem,
from California to Colorado to Florida – changing jobs and buying cars, so it’s
probably not a shock to read that two weeks at sea provided many opportunities
for deep and meaningful conversations.
The pilot
leaving us didn’t necessarily mean we were being left to wander rudderless but
rather, whatever ties we had with the past were slipped as easily as the ropes
that held our ship to the pier. For an ever-so-brief period, we would be
stateless or, as others referred to it as, being of no fixed address.
Our
trans-Atlantic itinerary was straight forward. Days at sea followed by a stop
by the Portuguese Azores, then the British outpost in Gibraltar, followed by a
quick look-and-see in French Corsica before leaving the ship at the Port of
Civitavecchia (also known as the Port of Rome).
Enchanted
Princess is a large cruise ship, but it took little away from the Norwegian
training full-rigged sailing ship, the Sørlandet. The Azores seemed to be a
haven for every type of vessel including mega yachts from wealthy tycoons. And
yes, oligarchs. No surprises really as being in the middle of the Atlantic, it provides
a welcome refuge from passing winter storms one of which blasted us when we traversed
the Atlantic, east to west.
Gibraltar, on
the other hand, was every bit as I imagined it to be – a rocky outcrop guarding
the entry to the Mediterranean. An undefeated bastion of British resistance. Perhaps
it shouldn’t have come as a surprise given the constant flow of ships docking
beneath the headland that there were as many casinos as there were – and yes, I
sighted my first Bugatti Chiron, one of twelve Bugatti’s owned by the local
Casino boss.
What didn’t
eventuate was the planned look-and-see in French Corsica. A strike and
subsequent blockade of the port by the local fishermen put an end to such
plans. Typical, we thought, as almost every single cruise for the better part
of a decade has not followed a scheduled itinerary. What we didn’t realize at
the time was that this was a harbinger of much worse to follow.
Two days
before reaching Rome, we received an email that informed us that our flight to
Munich had been cancelled. There were no firm plans to reschedule as much of
Europe was curtailing flights and yes, there were a number of strikes that
included our carrier, Lufthansa. We were seasoned travelers but even so, our resilience
would be sorely tested.
No worries,
we can book you on your planned date to fly to Hanover then connect to a flight
back to Munich. Arrived at Rome airport to be informed that no such flight
existed and oh yes, Rome airport was going on strike. Good luck. Many phone
calls followed but nothing was open to take us to Munich. Quick, a hotel for
the night. Our go-to chain we frequently use wouldn’t take our credit card and
would only allow us to spend “points.”
How about Croatia? A shared glance between us; why not? “A day later we could fly you to Split to connect with a Lufthansa flight to Munich. Is this an acceptable option?” We took the chance and with a couple of minor hiccups along the way, we made it just as spring began to bloom in Munich.
Sailing
aboard a floating city, oblivious of what it must have been like for sailors of
another era when facing an Atlantic crossing and where the only anxiety of the
day was whether we made it on time for breakfast. Whether, too, the morning
almond croissants were fresh and the coffee was strong, has made me rather
blasé to the enormity of what is now possible. This Princess kept her promise;
a Princess indeed! And apparently, all-knowing, it turned out to be, much to
our chagrin.
Before
boarding, we were provided with medallions that were our key to everything we
needed aboard the ship. What surprised us was the ease with which a crew member
was able to locate us to update our us on our plans – they walked straight to
us, seated as we were, by a lower-deck porthole. At any given time and for any
situation that may eventuate, the ship’s crew knows where everyone is and that,
with our knowledge of where AI is headed, is both assuring as it is frightening.
This was the
business part of our journey and it is a continuation of my lot in life. For
sixteen plus years, it’s been one story after another and one trip followed by
yet another trip. My ever-patient wife continues to stand beside me and for
that, I am truly blessed. Every time I state this, a side-glance from Margo
tells me another story entirely.
From small cafes down narrow Munich lanes to the open markets a stone-throw from Marienplatz, to the numerous Munich beerhalls for which this city is famous, our time in Munich gave us a couple of days to explore what we had always appreciated as a much-loved city. One stand-out cafe was the Maelu family-run confectionery and cafe, treats from which are depicted below.
But let us
provide a tip from seasoned travelers such as ourselves. Munich has lost its
appeal; overrun as it now is by tourists. The dining venues we once looked
forward to are now basically “food traps” where the quality has completely
fallen away. Ouch, and so sorry to report! Probably not somewhere that will
remain on our “must visit” lists. Those pork knuckles turning on a rotisserie
proved to by dry and essentially inedible.
On the other
hand, the open markets we visited that provided locals and visitors alike with
pretty much every food item they desired. There were times where we couldn’t
take our eyes of the produce. So much so that we walked away with a punnet of fresh
strawberries. It’s a fair bet that they didn’t last long once we back in our
hotel room.
Returning
home, everything went off without a hitch. We had left our car at the hotel in
Ft Lauderdale and, after a month’s absence, kept our fingers crossed that the
car would start upon our arrival. It did. We are becoming more and more
confident in our Land Rover Defender with each outing and again heading back home
it proved an ideal transportation that bookended our month of travelling. By
car and bus, by sea and air and by foot more than once and taxi, we are truly
blessed to be able to continue with our travel-focused lifestyle and for that
we are happy, indeed.
Munich may
not be on any future list of desirable destinations but that doesn’t detract
from the pure happiness that travelling provides. Surprise! Times do change. [Resilience, and being a seasoned-traveler aside, it was only on our return to our Florida home that I realized why our Rome hotel wouldn’t take our credit card – I was
entering the wrong expiration date. Yes, it was me and not the hotel chain’s app.]
As we look at the calendar we are happily building for the rest of this year, and into next year, and the year after that, be assured that there are many more stories to come. While Margo and I are now deep into AI what we have come to recognize is that humanity continues to be attracted to real human-written stories and with that, no AI will be used in the tales yet to be told.
Ecclesiastes
5:19
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