I always get a little teary on our last day in a country. There’s never enough time to do all we want, and our visits are just long and rich enough to get attached. I was captivated by Greece’s history and beauty and charmed by its people. I could have stayed longer but found a familiar comfort in returning home to the ship to prepare for departure. At the gangway, Vijay and his security team welcomed us back and attentive crew members asked about our time ashore.

As other voyagers hurried to return by “on-ship” time, we shared stories of Greek escapades and gradually moved our attention to the next leg of the journey. Chris dove quickly into his new adventure in the role of Assistant Executive Dean (AED). The person previously holding this position didn’t return to the voyage after our time in Greece. Chris was asked, with the help of some fabulous support staff, to serve as our AED while continuing to share the job of Co-Academic Dean. The AED manages logistics for every aspect of the voyage and acts as the primary liaison between the ship’s officers and the shipboard community. In addition to attending the captain’s meeting every morning, he serves as “The Voice,” making ship wide announcements over the microphone at 12:30 and 18:30 daily. The AED role is huge, and Chris is a natural. He is organized, efficient, compassionate, and funny, and his presence in this position has transformed the energy of the voyage.

As Chris absorbed more and more responsibility, we began to develop a new rhythm around our busy work schedules. Walks on deck and early morning coffee offered quiet time to prepare for the day, as well as a chance to visit with crew members who, due to COVID restrictions, have yet to leave the ship since their arrival in December. Work, which absorbed most of the days, was interrupted by breaks to watch the sun rise and set and see the reflection of the full moon against the sea. We gathered on Deck 9 as we sailed past Santorini and the Mykonos Islands with their bright white buildings tucked into cliffs above beautiful beaches below. Most evenings we met the Lindas in the Chappy and connected with other staculty and LLLs before dinner and nighttime activities. We celebrated Phill DuVentre’s birthday eating cake and dancing on the pool deck.

We moved through wind, thunderstorms, and choppy waters, capturing photos of rainbows in the waves and over the ship before anchoring just outside Limassol, Cyprus. A prerequisite to our visit was that a Cypriot medical team would board the ship before we came alongside to perform PCR tests on all passengers. Our leadership team tackled logistical details while staculty and students volunteered time to help, and we moved over 475 voyagers through testing with confidence and efficiency. That evening, we enjoyed traditional Cypriot appetizers in the Chappy, and Chris orchestrated his first Logistical Preport. Filled with humor and positivity, the evening was upbeat and voyager spirits were high. With test results rolling in after 10 p.m., the wheels began turning to isolate those with positive results and quarantine their close contacts, only to find out the next morning that several were actually false positives and about half of those who had been confined were released. With a new mantra of “stay positive and test negative!” we enthusiastically anticipated the second port on our journey.

In the early morning, the pilot boarded the ship, and we made our way into port. Marveling at the beauty of Limassol, voyagers took selfies while Professor Birgit Trauer danced with joy across the deck. Luke, Kaley and I disembarked early to find a taxi waiting to take us to old town to meet with our tour operators. Antonella is the 5^th generation to work in her family business. Together with her colleague, Evros, we reviewed itineraries for our classes and programs over delicious Cypriot pastries filled with olives and cheese.

With no plans for our first day, Chris and I were just beginning to explore when Kaley and Luke messaged that they had room in their van if we wanted to go wine tasting. The next thing we knew, we were on a beautiful drive toward the Troodos mountains, on winding roads through United Kingdom territory. The views from the Oenou Yi winery perched on a mountainside overlooking the town of Omodos were spectacular. The wines were also extraordinary. Together we laughed, learned about local grapes, and remembered the magic of traveling in port with friends.

We caught the bus to Paphos on day two where we walked miles and miles along the coast, explored the ancient ruins at the Tombs of Kings and stopped at a luxury resort for a drink and a quiet moment together overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Walking back, it began to rain, and we took respite in a small coffee shop where we ran into Patrick Wilkinson and Birgit. The two had rented a car, and they offered us a ride back to the ship. Patrick’s 6’ 5” frame only fit in the small Kia rental because Birgit is tiny and required very little room in the seat behind him. I felt oddly safe even though he was driving on the left side of the road for the first time in the dark and pouring rain. Chris navigated well until just into Limassol, we missed our exit. Taking the next turn, we found ourselves in a maze of very narrow one-way streets driving in circles past the same landmarks over and over again. We laughed and laughed until finally Birgit found a tiny sign pointing our escape through a small back alley to downtown.

Our field program in this port took us hiking on the Akamas Peninsula. The Lindas joined us on a challenging five-mile trail winding through olive, carob, fig and of course, cyprus trees. Meadows were filled with lilies not yet blooming, and cyclamens splashed lavender along the trail. We took breaks at the Baths of Aphrodite and under a 500-year-old oak tree. Though windy, the 370-meter summit at Moutti tis Sotiras and the hike down provided breathtaking views of the tip of the peninsula reaching out to the sea. We finished the day by a warm fire eating a family style meal of traditional Cypriot food at Christos Café and Tavern.

During our final day in Cyprus, Chris and I taxied to the ancient ruins in Kourion, a settlement that dates back to 5500 BC where we saw intricate mosaics in the House of Achilles, booming pillars outlining an ancient basilica, and a well-preserved theatre. Our taxi driver was proud to share how a farmer who was plowing his field had stumbled across the ruins.

We relished our last moments in Cyprus over coffee and pastries, and I felt that familiar sadness in my heart. In a taxi back to the port, Chris cajoled with our driver as the MV World Odyssey came into view. At the gangway, Vijay greeted us and on our way to our cabin, Ria and Achilles asked about our time in Cyprus. “The Voice” then took his place at the mic to welcome voyagers back, reminding them to turn in their passports and get their COVID tests. It was good to be home.