September 6, 2022
Today is the day my adventure started. I was completely packed by 11am and had the rest of the day to stress. We had one last family dinner but I could barely eat I was so nervous. To shake the nerves we went on a quick family walk throughout our neighborhood. When we got back it was time to get in the car and go. I took a moment alone in my room and breathed it all in, saying goodbye to the walls that raised me for the past 18 years. I said bye to the rest of our house, each corner having a special memory from my life. We pulled out of the driveway with tears running down my face as I fully realized I wouldn’t be home for 9 straight months. Everyone came to the airport with me and my dad dropped us 3 off while he went and parked the car. I got checked in and we waited for my dad to come up. I couldn’t sit, there were too many nerves jumping out of me that I had to keep moving. Once I saw him walking to us, the nerves exploded. It was an emotional goodbye and I almost thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it. But I pulled my sobbing self away and stepped on the escalator as it brought me out of view of my family. I got on the flight and pulled myself together to get ready for this adventure.
September 7, 2022
I arrived after a long travel day to Hungary where my friend Marci was there to pick me up. We headed back to his family friends house and had a very nice dinner before being dropped off at his Grandpa’s flat in the Buda side of Budapest. We lugged are big sea bags up the stairs and stopped at a small convenience store to get some snacks. Marci decided we must stay up and watch Eurotrip to kick off our adventure together. It was a wonderful evening filled with Rwandese peanuts and laughter.
September 8th, 2022
Today we dove right in with sight seeing and started by heading over to the Pest side via public transit. We got off near some of the government buildings and started walking to an indoor food market I found. We walked past some classic European streets and I was in love with it all since this was my first time in Europe. Everything you can think of is sold in this market and it was a lovely place to stop and grab a delicious peach before heading to St. Stephen’s Basilica. This is a breathtaking cathedral in the city that you can climb stairs all the way to the top and get a beautiful view of the entire city. The stairways were very narrow and spiral shaped so it created some funny photo ops. The cathedral has an atrium shape in the center of it and the staircases take you to above the atrium where you can see the ‘insides’ of the cathedral. We stopped for drinks and rest at a restaurant next to the church and made our way to Margitsziget. Margitsziget is an island in the middle of the river that divides Budapest. It is a nicely maintained place to just go and hang out. From there we finished crossing the river and made it back to the Buda side. After a trolley mistake we stopped for some chimney cakes which are a traditional Hungarian snack. After recharging we walked to the castle and found our way inside its walls. Once there we had some time to kill and it started raining so we found a covered restaurant and got cocktails before our dinner reservation. The rain stopped so we headed to our dinner spot which was a slightly more fancy place that Marci had been to earlier in the summer with his family. They had some lovely vegetarian options and so naturally when the food arrived I took a photo of each of our dishes. Unfortunately when I reached across the table to take a photo of Marci’s dish I burned my arm on the caster iron pan my food was in and pulled back on reflex which hit my glass of the table and it shattered. I felt very embarrassed in the moment because this was a classic tourist moment that I was trying to avoid. After our early dinner we headed back up the flights and flights of stairs to the castle to see it lit up at night. It was so magical when we got up and the view of the entire city lit up was also spectacular. There was a great view of the parliament building lit up across the river that was unlike anything I had ever seen before. After a long wonderful day of walking and travel we walked home and collapsed in bed, me jet lagged and feet throbbing.
October 23, 2022
We are prepping for our first storm. This includes taking up all the sails and climbing up to the yards to tie the sails up nice and neat. Then we pull every line tight so they don’t shake so much when we are going through the storm. We then tie ropes from stairway to stairway on the deck so we have extra places to hold onto when it gets rough. Its supposed to be bad from 12am to 6am and I have the 2am to 4am watch so I will be there when its at its height and I am actually very excited! I feel very safe on this boat so I know deep down things will be okay so I am not worried for my safety that helps me stay happy.
November 2, 2022
Tonight we saw glowing dolphins. It was the end of our night watch and we saw these dolphins at the bow of the boat illuminated by the bioluminescence in the water. There was a magical glow on the outline of them and a trail behind them of glowing water. This was truly a transformative site and made my week.
