At Sea
Grey skies, silvery waves swept up with lacy white tops, delicate showers - first of rain, then of feeble rays of sunlight stretching down from the white clouds above, combined to create a perfect lazy day at sea. One could hear a pin drop in the library where there was not a chair to spare - everyone was pouring over yesterday's English newspapers purchased in Menorca or guide-books of ports yet to come on this trip. However, fiction novels - good, bad or indifferent seem to have been the preferred reading material of the day! Days at sea like this are designed to re-charge one's batteries.
Shortly after the Captain and other members of the crew provided some of the morning's entertainment by practicing their scuba techniques in the pool, Robyn Woodward provided an introduction to Malta by presenting a slide-illustrated lecture on the history of Knights of Saint John. Far from being just an Order of crusading knights we learned about their extensive service towards the development of hospitals, medical science and naval activities over the past 900 years in the Mediterranean.
A Scandinavian seafood feast was presented for lunch and after a brief nap period, David Barnes bravely tackled the vast topic of the history of Islam and its many influences on western culture and science. Perhaps a better understanding of this multi-faceted religion and the diversity of cultures who have embraced it will encourage us to inform ourselves better on the current challenges in the Middle East.
Scrumptious tea-time goodies tempted even those with the strongest of will power, however we did not have long to enjoy this repast as we had to claim our seats for an introduction to the many splendors of the Greeks in Sicily. Hector Williams certainly wetted our appetites for our upcoming visit to the island by showing us slides of their enormous temples, the orderliness of their town planning and the wealth of archaeological materials that awaited us. Well so much for finishing our books or writing our postcards!
Grey skies, silvery waves swept up with lacy white tops, delicate showers - first of rain, then of feeble rays of sunlight stretching down from the white clouds above, combined to create a perfect lazy day at sea. One could hear a pin drop in the library where there was not a chair to spare - everyone was pouring over yesterday's English newspapers purchased in Menorca or guide-books of ports yet to come on this trip. However, fiction novels - good, bad or indifferent seem to have been the preferred reading material of the day! Days at sea like this are designed to re-charge one's batteries.
Shortly after the Captain and other members of the crew provided some of the morning's entertainment by practicing their scuba techniques in the pool, Robyn Woodward provided an introduction to Malta by presenting a slide-illustrated lecture on the history of Knights of Saint John. Far from being just an Order of crusading knights we learned about their extensive service towards the development of hospitals, medical science and naval activities over the past 900 years in the Mediterranean.
A Scandinavian seafood feast was presented for lunch and after a brief nap period, David Barnes bravely tackled the vast topic of the history of Islam and its many influences on western culture and science. Perhaps a better understanding of this multi-faceted religion and the diversity of cultures who have embraced it will encourage us to inform ourselves better on the current challenges in the Middle East.
Scrumptious tea-time goodies tempted even those with the strongest of will power, however we did not have long to enjoy this repast as we had to claim our seats for an introduction to the many splendors of the Greeks in Sicily. Hector Williams certainly wetted our appetites for our upcoming visit to the island by showing us slides of their enormous temples, the orderliness of their town planning and the wealth of archaeological materials that awaited us. Well so much for finishing our books or writing our postcards!
