OUR 60-DAY JOURNEY TO EUROPE AND BACK: Part Two...14 Days on the Norwegian Encore from Miami to Southampton

On November 3 we left Miami for Southhampton. Right behind us, Hurricane Raphael, was heading straight for Cayman Islands, where we were yesterday. What a difference a few days can make.

On November 5 there was another hurricane, named Donald Trump, who, defying any logic and all odds, got re-elected president of the USA. My sleep pattern began to change, for I worried about the future of democracy in the U.S. I was so perplexed at how far off I was towards understanding our nation, that, save for my exposition on the future of the country the next day, for the rest of the trip pretty much avoided politics in my postings.

Today, I still seem to have lost interest in our future, for all seems lost. Reminds me of Ray Bradbury's A Sound of Thunder, where a time traveler returns home to find everything changed. He would have expected Kamala Harris to prevail over Donald Trump, but the opposite happened because he stepped on a butterfly. What did I do to cause this difference?

The main idea, or the message, of "A Sound of Thunder" is that small actions can have tremendous consequences and that everything is connected. The story shows how something as small as killing a butterfly could ripple out causing massive change. It speaks to the responsibility we have to one another as our actions can effect everyone.

Well, anyway, we left Miami and spent several days at sea. More sunsets, food, karaoke, disco dancing, midnight snacks and passage of Rafael.

Still on the Encore. and had another Le Bistro special dinner, of champagne, wine, escargot, endive salad, rack of lamb, etc.

Ending the evening in The Cavern Club for karaoke.

Stops in the Azores, La Coruna and Le Havre.

Arrival in Southhampton, and off to Amsterdam on British Air.

Arrival at Schiphol Airport, where we spent two nights at the airport Sheraton.

Breakfast with champagne.

The time change, ship hum, whatever, I had difficulty sleeping during my final month of this journey. Posted on sleep again.

Tomorrow, about our not quite Christmas cruise on the Viking Tir.

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