At sea
Oh for a lazy Sunday at sea . . .
After the variety and dynamism of the previous week on the Atlantic Coast of Europe, we took a well-deserved rest to catch up on notes, lectures and reflections. The hearty Endeavour punched its way into strong seas around the coast of Brittany. We had hoped to spend much of the day out on deck looking for signs of life, but sea conditions were not ideal for spotting marine mammals. Nonetheless, we had plenty of lesser black-backed gulls following the ship, and northern gannets and common guillemots were among the seabirds spotted through the wide windows of the lounge and library.
Neither were there many signs of life on board for most of the early morning, with many of us opting to take the opportunity to sleep in. Expedition historian David Barnes, pictured above in his usual position at the bar, roused the masses with his long-awaited lecture on the European Union. The progression of European kingdoms into nation-states and now into a union is one of the predominant themes of our European Odyssey. It raises many interesting questions for Americans, and comparisons to our own development as a country. Who thinks of the United States as an old country when compared to Europe? Yet our persevering constitution and our continuity as a nation-state for over 200 years is far older than most European “countries” as we know them today. And then there’s the Euro, and “this business about the English Question . . .” as David likes to say.
Oh for a lazy Sunday at sea . . .
After the variety and dynamism of the previous week on the Atlantic Coast of Europe, we took a well-deserved rest to catch up on notes, lectures and reflections. The hearty Endeavour punched its way into strong seas around the coast of Brittany. We had hoped to spend much of the day out on deck looking for signs of life, but sea conditions were not ideal for spotting marine mammals. Nonetheless, we had plenty of lesser black-backed gulls following the ship, and northern gannets and common guillemots were among the seabirds spotted through the wide windows of the lounge and library.
Neither were there many signs of life on board for most of the early morning, with many of us opting to take the opportunity to sleep in. Expedition historian David Barnes, pictured above in his usual position at the bar, roused the masses with his long-awaited lecture on the European Union. The progression of European kingdoms into nation-states and now into a union is one of the predominant themes of our European Odyssey. It raises many interesting questions for Americans, and comparisons to our own development as a country. Who thinks of the United States as an old country when compared to Europe? Yet our persevering constitution and our continuity as a nation-state for over 200 years is far older than most European “countries” as we know them today. And then there’s the Euro, and “this business about the English Question . . .” as David likes to say.
