adventure – One for the Road

Pneumonia, Nassau, and the Sea

These last months have been quite a wild ride. It started about a month ago or so when I swore I had some kind of ear infection. Well, it’s a very good thing I am not a doctor because the symptoms got much worse before I decided to go see one only twenty four hours after speaking to a doctor on Teledoc. Which, the doctor on there only heard what I told him so there’s no way he would have known how bad I actually was so I am not trying to throw any shade towards them, not at all. But, I had gotten in pretty bad shape. After several tests and an X-Ray later it was determined I had Bronchopneumonia. Apparently a much tougher, bigger pain in the lungs, than your average bronchitis or pneumonia, like all the fun of both in one convenient package.

So, for about a month I had the most intense pain in my entire chest. From my muscles burning because of the constant coughing and hacking. The first couple weeks were the most painful. It was like an asthma attack but it wouldn’t end and nothing would help. I couldn’t sleep except by sitting nearly straight up and if I did pass out the hacking and chest pain from not being able to really breathe woke me up. Another issue I am still dealing with, how much that reversed my sleep schedule. Even now, I am writing this at 12:45 at night. Another reason I had to be well was because I was taking a cruise over to Nassau and Coco Cay with Leonor for some important family stuff. So, I needed the Fat Man and Little Boy of antibiotics dropped on my immune system and burn this sickness out of me as quickly as possible. It took me a month before I could even talk without losing my breathe and I am still running out of breathe after a mile hiking in the bush so when the time came to set sail I was still pretty rough but no longer sick or on meds.

When we set sail it was on the Utopia of the Seas with the Royal Caribbean. I have to say that every single time I take a cruise with Royal Caribbean I always have the time of my life. I get onboard the ship and make my way to our stateroom, Leonor and I. We were in an interior cabin this time, so no balcony. But, honestly it gave me a great reason to spend a lot more time exploring the ship and spending time on deck. After dropping off the luggage we headed to the deck and I had my signature, get into cruise mode, double of Irish whiskey and a coke. I may have had two. Of course I had just gotten over being sick so I got pretty buzzed fairly quick. So, what is a man to do when he gets a little buzzed on deck. Why, he makes his way to the free ice cream of course and has a nice cold vanilla, chocolate, or a swirl of both while you decide what you are in the mood to eat. Personally, I had a vanilla cone and then followed it up with a brat sausage, something Leonor knows I love. A tasty brat and some mustard and ketchup. Across the water you could see Cape Canaveral and the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building as well as the launch towers. I remember watching the last shuttle launch from there. It didn’t take long to lose sight of land as we made our way into the Atlantic with Nassau as our first port of call, a location that would leave some definite memories.

As the sky went from a bright blue to a dark black matched only by the black of the sea that was impossible to differentiate between. It is a darkness that is impossible to really explain unless you have seen it. So intensely dark, it is almost ominous. But, there was no ominous feeling on the deck that was alive with laughs of children and adults enjoying the beauty of the sea and relishing the distance from the world’s troubles. When eight thirty rolled around it was dinner time. We all made our way to the main dining hall and were seated immediately. I had a delicious meal. A perfectly cooked crab cake for a starter, fried chicken which was amazing with mashed potatoes and biscuits with honey. Finally ending the meal with a Key Lime Pie. That was awesome. We then made our way around the ship enjoying the stars and I enjoying a coffee before we headed down to the casino. Leonor’s parents were there already warming up the poker tables and doing very well. Something about gambling at sea always makes them lucky. I don’t gamble so I enjoy playing a slot or two before having another coffee and disappearing on deck to enjoy the view of the deep darkness trying to find where the dark sky met the black sea.

Arriving in Nassau I was excited to visit a new territory outside the U.S. The last country I got to enjoy exploring was England. I did just finish field work in Dallas and a long drive from Texas to Vicksburg, Mississippi and then through Alabama and then on to Florida. I have been to a few countries: England, France, Belgium, Venezuela, and Gary, Indiana by way of Chicago, which, if you are from South Florida is definitely a different country. The first thing that really strikes you are the amount of vendors the moment you leave what most people call the resort area, but I will refer to this as the Green Zone. Walking out of the Green Zone I am almost immediately attacked by vendors and salesman. It is kinda like those videos of Egypt with the vendors following you except a bit worse. After graciously saying no to the thousandth person I was beginning to hear someone scream that I was a racist because I would not rent an ATV. I immediately found a taxi and went to another Green Zone in a cab. That other Green Zone: The Atlantis Casino and Resort, a very beautiful and very expensive resort right on the water with million as well as billion dollar yachts hanging out in the private marina the Leonor’s Dad led us through. The ships that were there reminded me of movie stars and Bond villains. Then relaxing in the casino I posted up at the bar where I was given the most amazing service, as well as, the most well made coconut rum mixed drinks I have ever had in my entire life. A local coconut rum with pineapple juice and grenadine and as a garnish a dried out pineapple dried out to look like a flower dropped on top, AMAZING! After winning a buzz at the bar and Leonor’s parents winning at the tables we all made our way back to the ship where we would be on our way to Coco Cay but my next port of call would be enjoying the on-ship bars, restaurants, and even winning at some trivia with Leonor, all because of her TV sitcom knowledge, and enjoying the no cell phone coverage and private interior stateroom.

I have said it before and I will probably continue to say it, because it is a quote I love and feel deeply. It’s by Khalil Gibran and he said “There must be something strangely sacred in salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.”. I love the sea, and for me there is something very calming and centering in my soul that comes from the sea. I come from a family of mariners from Tipperary, then Norwich, and now, finally, in Tampa, so I suppose it makes sense that I love to look out into the vastness of the Atlantic and almost feel as if I am seeing an old friend. If you haven’t taken a trip lately whether it is at sea or your local state park I encourage you to go, explore somewhere new, and let the worries of the what the world tells you to think fade and blow away in the strongest wind cooling your brow. Thank you so much for reading, until the next adventure my friends, take care and God bless you.

24 Days Left in Dallas

So, we have finally arrived at the moment that felt so far away it was as if it was never going to arrive and now it’s here. When I first made the trip here back in October I never could have imagined how much this place was going to change me. I flew back and forth until November with the plan to drive to Dallas from Tampa right after New Years. Around 1,600 miles. I had my annual camping trip with Adam at Ocala National Forest and the moment I got home packed for a trip that I would be on for the next eight months. I was very anxious about leaving and I had no idea what to expect. This was going to be the largest project I had ever done and I was doing it solo. I did have Leonor with me and that made everything a lot easier and way better but she had her own job to do so all the filming was up to me. I was pretty nervous.

Upon arriving after a day and a half of driving I found that nothing was as advertised. None of the apartments had furniture, the beds were on the floor, no TV, and it was absolutely freezing with Dallas having a winter storm coming in. It was supposed to be severe with the possibility of power going out for a few days. Just what you want to hear after leaving Florida. I huddled up by my heater and worked on uploading the film from every days filming. Putting up the massive FIFA Broadcasting Hub in downtown Dallas. It was a massive project that I am so lucky God let me have that opportunity to film. There were moments I thought I was going to go crazy when we were grinding filming everyone work 15 hour shifts and then go home and be up all night downloading and tagging everything and then waking up to repeat everything. I thought, I am in over my head but It started to become habit and I slowly started to settle in to my temporary home in Texas.

The assembly of this massive worldwide broadcast hub from where they broadcast the World Cup started in late January and was finished in mid May. We had a massive party. Our bosses rented out a pub and gave us an open bar. I drank heavily and celebrated. Everyone was there patting each other on the back. Well deserved too. Lots of people said this was going to fail and a lot of people have come and gone from this project between October to now but I am so happy that I got to see the entire thing through. Now, we need to go through the film and make some beautiful stuff out of it and that is going to be really fun but a lot of work. A lot has happened to me in those moments in between behind the camera with my new friends. A few drunk nights to tell tales about, add a couple tattoos, and a new perspective on just life in general. How, up until now, how I felt like I have been doing it all wrong. At least not entirely how I should be looking at life anyway.

Before I came here I was really sure about what I thought and how I lived my life. Being here though, having so much time to myself to reflect and to meet people so different from me and hear about their views and beliefs made me realize how amazing and how awesome people can be. The soul of people is something extremely beautiful and in some people it makes your own soul light up. People like this should be protected and cared for. Being someone who did not meet a lot of people it blew my mind just how many great and genuine people are out there. I took the time to try and figure out what kind of person God wanted me to be and how to do it. I fall short a lot but I am at a point where I want to be better and I know that God will bless me if I put Him first and He will always be with me. He brought me here to show me that. I really wish I learned it sooner but I have a chance to take what I have learned here and let it change me and take that change home with me and build it into something legendary.

I came to Texas and I sometimes complained about it too. The roads, the confusing Dallas traffic, and the insane hours I pushed myself to endure. As I am here at the end of it looking back though, I would not have wanted to be anywhere else. This place has somehow made a place for itself in my heart and as I walk around my temporary home I know that somewhere within me I will always miss my apartment back in Dallas. My Farmers Market across the street, the empty gym upstairs, and the amazing people like my buddy Bogar, Luis, and Kennedy. They all have such intricate and beautiful lives and for a moment I got to be part of it and play a little role in it. In twenty four days though my pass as well as my filming will officially come to an end. The focus will then fall to packing up my apartment and making the drive back home to Florida before the apartment lease runs out September 1st.

As I write this I realize, I am really going to miss this place. I am really going to miss my little apartment across from my farmers market with the empty gym. I am going to miss my crazy friends that made me forget I am 40 and remind me life never runs out of adventures if you just keep chasing the horizon. I can’t help but wonder and daydream a lot lately about what will happen to all of us when we finally come to that day we all have say goodbye. I am sure we will all try to keep in touch as long as we can but life and time can be brutal with long distance friendships. I wonder what will happen to me and where I will go. I am sure wherever it is God will be with me and it will be awesome. I hope all of you reading this are well, God bless you, and until next time, see ya later.

Running Trails with the brand new 2026 Polaris ATV

When I got home from Dallas for the first time in months I first hugged my family, held my cat, and then immediately started prepping to head out to Croom for a day of trail running with Adam. Adam who usually rides a dirt bike recently bought a brand new Polaris. This beast was the trail model so it came with a lift kit on it, a winch and the bars you would usually see on an ATV have been removed. It is a black beast of a four wheeler. I never personally thought I would love an ATV with an automatic transmission but let me tell you this thing was so smooth running those trails.

We got out to Croom a couple weeks before the fourth of July and Croom was totally empty. The weather was brutal, to be specific the intense heat was brutal with a average temperature of about one hundred degrees. I can see what sitting on top of a extremely hot motor may not sound very fun to most people, especially my cousin who wears work out gear when he rides, but I am not a normal person. So I came anyway. The dust was intense at the sand pit but because there was no one there we got to really see the Polaris at speed off road which was apparently on half throttle. Adam is making a point of easing it in which I totally agree with just not great at practicing it. There has been a couple times that Adam had to be a little more clear about slowing down until it is completely run in. Sorry Adam, I am working on this.

We were pulling into the perfect spot with a good canopy lining up our trucks, Adam in his white Dodge Ram that is a beast just like the ATV it brought into the Withlacoochee Forest today. I, of course, was in Big Red, my ’79 Ford F-150 with my ’98 Honda Foreman 400. We didn’t waste time before jumping on the trails. Adam was eager to find some mud to put his four wheel drive to the test and maybe even to get stuck and give his new winch a test drive. The heat and how dry it was I wasn’t too sure we would find any serious mud but we had only been running the trails for about ten minutes before we found the same exact spot my ATV had gotten stuck the last time we came out there with Chris. When Adam saw that mud he went straight into it.

He hit the mud and at first he was plowing right through it until he started to come to the other side of this miniature lake and he got bogged down. I had gone through a smaller cut next to him so I wouldn’t get stuck since he was very stuck and I was gonna need to help pull him out. I cam around and he looked up with a huge grin, the kind you would expect on the kids on Christmas morning, and says out loud “WINCH TIME!”. Yes, it was indeed winch time. We first were going to set it to a tree, why not my ATV? Adam also wanted to see how long it was. When we couldn’t reach the tree so we hooked it up to my ATV. It came right out, I loved it. It was so awesome rolling through here now with a winch. I even bought one for my ATV, I just need to take it my ATV shop and have them install it because, surprisingly it is much more complicated than just bolting something on. So I would be visiting Haps in Sarasota very soon.

We probably rode for about three hours before having to return to reality but we already have started planning a longer moto-camping trip, something we have been talking about for a couple years. We are currently looking at the Ocala National Forest, since we already know the terrain really well, we can make that our first location for a full on, off the grid, moto-camping trip. Both of us having 4x4s, winches, and the ability to carry a decent amount of cargo. The possibilities are endless. I look forward to telling you more about this in the future. Thanks so much for reading, don’t forget you can watch this adventure at my YouTube channel Dan Goes Outside and check out Mud, Dust, and High Speed Rust. I promise that you will enjoy it, and please like and subscribe, it truly does help. I hope you have an awesome day wherever you are my friends, God bless, and don’t forget to go outside!

Editing Days in a Dallas Apartment

It has been nearly a week I believe since I have gone outside except for the occasional taco. We are getting very close to the end of this project and therefore coming to a conclusion in the filming which means I have to now start seeking an “ending”. Something to really sum up the film of this huge adventure, this David vs. Goliath of long odds.

The arrival in Dallas came immediately after New Years. Driving the sixteen hundred plus miles from my hometown in South Florida to Dallas Texas was an awesome ride. Cruising past Pensacola, Through Mobile Bay, past Louisiana, and finally arriving in Dallas, Texas. After being taken in by the breathe taking skyline and being shown to the apartment that would be home for the next eight months I took in one immediate fact. That the roads in Dallas must have been drawn by someone who had taken too much Adderall. Winding through one way streets and immense hoards of the homeless wandering around downtown almost like something out of an old zombie movie. Though this place has begin to grow on me. The friends I have made here have been some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

It is hard to believe that we are already in May and going through that month faster than anyone could have expected. I have gone ahead and purchased tickets to go to Japan with Adam and Chris. The trip we have been talking about for a couple of years is actually on the way. This November eleventh this adventure will begin just as this current one comes to a close. As I sit here now working through all the footage I have filmed for the last 5 months it is dawning on me that I will have to say goodbye to Dallas soon as well and I believe that I had forgotten what it was like to love something or someplace and then let it go. For me, personally, that’s the hardest part, the letting go. I always wish I can bring all the awesome people I meet with me, but they have their own adventures to embark upon and thus we must enjoy our time on the trail together, we all have a different camping spot we are hiking to in life so be kind, love, care for, and enjoy the other people you find on the trail. God bless you my friends, until next time.

Evening Run to Vulcan

My nephews and I have created this tradition that every Thanksgiving I drive my family up to my old hometown in Alabama and after we have our big meal that is usually around twelve in the afternoon we go up to Oak Mountain and hike up to Peavine Falls. Oak Mountain is a huge State Park near Birmingham and is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. Now, one thing I always do is, when I am at the top of Red Mountain I would always survey the neighboring mountain tops for Vulcan. Now, Vulcan is the largest cast iron statue in the world and it too sits atop Red Mountain so I am surveying the tops of all the surrounding peaks but I can’t see him, I never do. Then I launch into my usual speech about how much I wish we could take a side quest to Vulcan before heading home but there is no way it would be open that late… or would it? I had equipped my phone now with the latest in AI technology that even James Bond would feel a twinge of jealousy about as I asked ChatGPT what Vulcan’s hours were. I was blown away when I saw it was open until ten. I immediately rounded up the children and made the twenty minute drive to Vulcan Park. It was a very short drive so it was not long before we were coming up the road taking us up the mountain when we saw him. Vulcan, the largest cast iron statue ever made in the world. The gray steel colour was outlined in the dark blue sky standing high on his pedestal reaching up towards the sky. It was nearly sunset. We first headed into the museum to get our tickets to go to the top of Vulcan but we were once struck with a kind providence as we were informed that their computer systems were down and therefore we would not be charged. We were given our official post it note and made our way over to the pedestal that Vulcan sat atop. The entire monument was being renovated so naturally the lifts were out but that was fine by me as I was interested in seeing the guts of the statues as we lumbered our way up. The pedestal was a stone mason style that felt like an old turn of the century design. Accurate since it was made in the early nineteen hundreds. The bottom of the stairs was a white marble room with the stairs starting on the right and wrapping around the wall going to the left. After going up the original stairs the marbles gives way to a dark stone. The original walls of the statue. Going up the only hint to how high you are is the thin windows. Approaching the top, the large steel doors open to an outside view of downtown Birmingham from almost two hundred feet above Red Mountain. I am actually slightly averted to heights but I can never say no to a breathtaking view and the thrill of filming it. As I stepped outside into the cold high altitude breeze I could see the lights of downtown lighting up and in the distance the sky was a deep red being washed out slowly by a black star dotted sky. I made my way slowly walking around the entire deck and seeing the entire three hundred and sixty degree view that Vulcan offered. There is something almost spiritual for me being in places like this. I had visited Vulcan years ago when I was a kid and it was an inside observation room and you couldn’t see Vulcan but just the surrounding view but now being outside in the wind looking up and seeing the great cast iron olympian and not only see the view but really feel. The grating was a little bit of a shock when I realized I could see all the way to the ground. After taking a moment to really take in the view I had been waiting to see for years I took my time climbing back down the stairs. I felt like I was leaving a friend’s house that I knew I wouldn’t be seeing again for a very long time and it was a little sad. Before leaving though we took a walk through the Museum at Vulcan Park, spoiler alert, there is a celebrity housed there, Bill for Capitol Hill, if you know you know. Making my way back to my ride I stopped and turned around and took a moment to really let the moment sink in, to really let it settle in my memory before heading back. If you are ever in Birmingham, Alabama I highly recommend a stop to enjoy it. Sunset, in my opinion, is the very best time. Until next time dear adventurers, God bless you, St. Brendan travel with you, and may you always find the right trail.

NYE in the Wild: Lake Delancy, Ocala National Forest

New Year’s is the trip I always wait for—the one I plan hardest and look forward to most. Since 2020, it’s become a tradition: camping out the turn of the year, welcoming whatever comes next from deep in the woods. This year, Adam and I returned to one of our favorite spots—Lake Delancy, tucked away deep in the heart of the Ocala National Forest.
As with any good adventure, getting there wasn’t without its surprises.
I’d booked the site for December 30th and 31st so we could roll in easy, set up camp, and settle in. My driving, however, started on the 29th when while loading gear, Adam called—naturally I did the responsible thing and ignored it. Then came the text: “We have an issue.”
My heart skipped. I called him immediately.
With a laugh, he said, “I knew that would get your attention.” His truck repairs weren’t finished, and the truck he was using couldn’t haul the extra dirt bike Chris would need when he joined us on New Year’s Eve. This meant I needed to load my ATV, drive an hour south to Sarasota, pick up the dirt bike, head back home, finish packing, and be ready to roll the next morning.
Simple enough…
I loaded up the Foreman and headed south, hung out with Adam for a bit, strapped down the dirt bike, and made the return trip. Back home, I finished packing everything else—camp gear, food, tools, layers, and a banger play list that would leave the forest in awe, undoubtedly bringing out all natures creatures in curiosity of the awesome music. The next morning, we met at Publix, stocked up on supplies, and formed a little convoy to pick up Leonor.
This trip was special—it was Leonor’s first tent camping trip, and our first together. Sharing my favorite tradition with her was very special to me.
The drive took about two and a half hours. When we turned onto the Forest Service Road—pockmarked, dusty, and barely maintained—my heart swelled. That road means remoteness. Quiet. Freedom. We passed the familiar sign: “Welcome to the Ocala National Forest.” That sign always feels like crossing a threshold—into the bush, into God’s country, where the wild things are.
Adam had already arrived and pitched his tent. We wasted no time setting ours up, Leonor helping lay out blankets and gear since we knew the temperature would be dropping fast. As the sun slipped behind the trees, Adam grinned and said, “About time to get the fire going.”
Dinner that night was chicken thighs with squash and zucchini, the veggies chopped by Leonor and cooked to perfection by Adam. It was one of those meals that makes everyone go silent for a while—nothing but the sound of chewing, fire popping, and my occasional “Mmmmm”.
As we were swallowed by the dark, the cold had settled in hard. Around 35 degrees and falling. We walked laps around camp, half-hoping to spot the bear Adam and I had seen on a previous trip. But after several rounds, it became clear: it was too cold for anything to be moving, including Old Smokey.
Leonor and I turned in first. The rest of the night was brutal.
The temperature dropped to 28 degrees—bone-deep, painful cold. My feet ached. I shivered uncontrollably. None of us slept. At first light, I got up immediately, Adam built a fire, and we stood in the sun slowly defrosting. I’ve slept in cold places—reenactments, winter camps—but this was the coldest night I’ve ever endured.
Breakfast fixed everything. Runny eggs, bacon, cheese, Wonder Bread—Adam has this ability to create a feast anywhere we are, it is one of his superpowers. After eating, Leonor and I drove about 30 minutes into town for more firewood, blankets, hand warmers, food, and water.
Back at camp, it was finally time to ride.
We unleashed the machines and disappeared into the Ocala backcountry—Adam leading on the dirt bike, me close behind on the ATV with Leonor holding tight. Out there, far from everything, the noise of the world falls away. All that’s left is peace. Pine, sand, sky. Truly wild Florida.
After the ride, I sent the drone up and captured a bird’s-eye view of Lake Delancy and the endless green ocean of forest stretching to the horizon. It truly moves you in a way I find difficult to articulate. A feeling of adventure and beauty, awe and excitement.
That night’s dinner was ribs—the best ribs I’ve ever eaten. As the fire crackled, we counted down the final moments of 2025. In the distance coyotes howled at the moon adding a beauty and calm to the darkness of the night. When midnight hit, we all celebrated another glorious year and shouted, “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Another year closed the right way.
That night, we were ready for the cold. Two socks with a hand warmer sandwiched between them, extra blankets, sleeping bag layered just right. I slept like a rock—confirmed by my snoring, which Leonor kindly pointed out the next morning. A brutal first night, followed by a perfect one.
As we packed up to leave, nostalgia tugged at me. Leonor and I took one last slow walk around Lake Delancy, and I told her stories—past trips, mishaps, and my favorite: the night we followed a black bear I’d happily nicknamed Old Smokey.
“I always see something,” I said. “I hate that this time—when you’re with me—we didn’t.”
I hadn’t even finished the sentence when a black bear cub wandered calmly through camp.
We stopped. Took photos and video. Followed at a safe distance while alerting others. Campers watched in awe as the bear passed through, unbothered, wild, and perfect. A gift from God—a beautiful sendoff.
Ocala will always be special to me. And Lake Delancy will always feel like home.
If you ever get the chance, go. You might just find paradise.

Cruise to CocoCay – Day 1

When my alarm went off at 6:30, it felt like I had only blinked. My eyelids were heavier than my own luggage. I dragged myself up, got ready, and caught a ride to Leonor’s place — we were traveling with her parents. The drive over was very pleasant, though I was given the usual send-off reminder: “Don’t get drunk and don’t embarrass yourself, Danny.” A tall order, but I felt oddly up to the challenge.
We left around 8 a.m. for the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Fort Lauderdale. I didn’t mind the road trip, not at all, it was my bladder did. About two hours in, I was starting to feel my teeth float, thankfully I was rescued when Leonor’s mom called for a pit stop to pick up some snacks. After that, we were back on the highway and soon pulling into Port of call. That may be the wrong term but it sounds nice.
Once we’d shown our passports to confirm we weren’t terrorists or troublemakers, we searched for a parking space — not exactly straightforward, but I was too distracted to care. I couldn’t take my eyes off the ship. The Oasis of the Seas stood before us like a floating skyscraper, dwarfing everything around it. I had no idea just how massive it really was until later.
Pushing my bag up the gangway, I stepped aboard and was immediately swallowed by the crowd — passengers everywhere, most headed straight for their staterooms. This made using the lifts more of a practice of breathe holding and yoga exercises as fitting into the lift one would have to contort themselves into a small crack between two other blokes who were well into using their drink package, which I didn’t get this time but that’s neither here nor there.
Our stateroom was on Deck 12, starboard-side aft in shippy lingo — Room 684. I dropped my bag and practically leapt across the bed to the balcony. The door took me a minute to figure out — “very shippy” style lock again, very cool I thought to myself as I said come on Dan outsmart the door now, but once open, I was taken back by the view. It was unbelievable. We were as high as a building, part of this massive floating city.
After a quick change, Leonor and I headed down to meet her parents on Deck 9. Their stateroom mirrored ours — cozy, with a queen-size bed, a couch, a few dressers, and a small safe which I made very good use of. Once everyone was ready, it was time for lunch.
We took the lift to Deck 8, rounded a corner, and stepped into Central Park. I’m not exaggerating when I say it is a literal park — trees, plants, open sky — right in the middle of the ship. Looking up, you could see the decks rising like an apartment complex around this oasis of greenery.
A coffee shop, bakery, and pizza shop along with other restaurants and shops along the path of trees. I grabbed a coffee, Leonor got a slice, and her dad went for a sandwich. From there, we wandered toward the Boardwalk at the rear or aft in ship talk.
It was like stepping into a seaside carnival: a hot-dog stand that served not just hot dogs but huge bratwurst, a candy shop, a Johnny Rockets, and a beach shop — even an enormous water slide curling down from the ship’s top deck to the ground in the Boardwalk. Past that was the Aqua Theater, where the water shows would take place. This ship just never stopped.
After exploring, we returned to our stateroom so I could take in one of the moments I’d been waiting for: departure.
I stood on the balcony, waiting like those movie characters waving from a ship as the crowd on shore waves back. The ship’s horns sounded — several short blasts followed by one long, this was the horn sounding the ship was ready to get underway. The ship shuddered, then began to glide away from the dock, slowly at first, then faster, cutting through the harbor waters. This massive city making its way to the sea.
We passed several fishermen casting their lines, waving up at us as we waved back. The whole thing felt surreal — cinematic.
Leonor suggested a walk to the top deck, and I thought “That’s Brilliant!”. I even poured my “signature” drink: a double shot of Jameson Irish Whiskey, neat — with a Sprite on the side so Leonor could enjoy some too. Normally, I take it with Coke, but who cares about that.
We wandered around the pool, grabbed free ice cream which was amazing, and just stood there together, watching the sea stretch endlessly. The moment was still and sacred.
I remembered a line from Khalil Gibran:
“There must be something strangely sacred about salt. It is in our tears and in the sea.”
And standing there, surrounded by the smell of salt and the sound of waves, I understood what he meant.