It’s 10:00 o’clock in the morning. A balmy midsummer weekday that promises to be sultry. Meanwhile it is peaceful and calm. My ablutions and preliminary necessities are complete. I am fully prepared to welcome the day with nothing planned. Only the habitual accommodations and elaborations. A shameless repetition of my dearest preoccupations, the tarnished but trustworthy episodes which have come to distinguish my indisptuable monotony and shallowness. The reward of unflappability. The blurry morning sunshine spreads over the burgeoning distant corn fields. At my desk in the withdrawing room on the 2nd floor of our apartment building, listening to CBC classical recordings, overlooking the balcony and across the meadow towards the river, I imagine myself being on the bow of a ship at the helm headed out to sea.
Recent events have crystallized our operation and opened enquiry to what is proving to be the fruitful resource of sailing. It would be fair to acknowledge that we have only now awakened to this singular class of adventure. And while it is the product of misadventure from our prior winter arrangements, it is evolving by the day with increased tangibility and plausibility. We have in an instant expanded the scope of travel. Admittedly the transformation is in some respects purely epicurean. Suitable for those who derive more stimulus from what’s in the glass than from what is above and beyond the rim. Yet the possibilities for discovery are bountiful. Our incremental aging is coinciding with the comfortable superfluity of sailing.
Earlier today we paused to consider a proposed sail aboard Seven Seas Grandeur™ which is one of Regent Cruise Line’s latest constructions.
Standing upon the deck of a luxury cruise, the fresh sea air enlivens the spirit, beckoning guests ashore to unearth the hidden wonders that await in far-flung regions and favorite ports of call. Wake up each morning in a spacious suite to a new perspective from your private balcony. Enlighten your day with new insights from knowledgeable, onboard speakers and local guides as you tour, taste and savor the many marvelous destinations. Recall the day’s adventures with good friends and exquisite food at our specialty cruise restaurants, then dance or delight in the rhythm of the evening’s onboard entertainment before settling into your private oasis at sea.
Regent Cruise Lines “Seven Seas Grandeur”
With the prospect of a modest degree of familiairity I have heightened my curiosity about what to wear on board. I understand there persists the weekly sailing tradition of a black tie dinner (perhaps dignified by the presence of the captain and some of his officers). My interest however is distinctly to preserve casual apparel and associated outings. Therefore khaki coloured pants with white shirt and black or blue sweater. As for other elements of travel – it is the massage palour and the steam room. Subsequently the views from the stern.