Sailing on the Mediterranean

Whew, what a relaxing weekend. A nice way to unwind before I spend the next week holed up in the library writing papers and doing research.
Friday, Esther and I went to Santa Marinella for some beach time. Typical European behaviors were observed: toplessness, Speedo-wearing, paddle ball while wearing said Speedos, leathery tans. But it was lovely to be there though the water was a bit cold. Then Esther went back to Rome and I continued to Ostia. There I met Tamy and 15 other students to go sailing! My boat had 6 other girls on it; the other boat was all ND kids. Out boat was named Doppio Gioco, translated 'double game' aka cheating. Nice. That night while we slept, Tamy and our captain Maurizio sailed us some 60 miles to Palmarola. We woke up on Saturday to bright blue skies, clear Mediterranean waters, and a rocky deserted island. Well, it's deserted except for Fendi's summer villa. Anyway, we all went swimming and explored some caves. Tamy took us out in the dinghy to see some other caves. There were amazing; the water was so clear and blue. A little cold but I've been in much colder water. We climbed on some rocks, laid out on the boat deck, listened to Italian club remixes. Outstanding. I got some sunburn, surprising I know. Then in the afternoon we sailed to the island of Ponza where we docked for the night. It was a cute little town with brightly colored houses and white staircases winding throughout. I've never been to Greece but I'm pretty sure this would be very comparable. It was a quiet place, great to just wander around and relax. We had dinner on the boat then got some gelato. The other boat got a little rowdy and went to the one bar in town, only to have one girl get sick. Good thing I turned in early and was rocked to sleep in the boat. Very relaxing. I like sleeping on boats. It's crowded and if the engine is on or the anchor is being put out, it can be loud. But I like it. The next morning we set out early to sail all the way back to Ostia. It was clear when we left port at 8:30 but around 11 fog rolled in. Very unusual but thrilling. We had to go very slowly because there are lots of rocks in the area and we couldn't see anything. A couple of times we got pretty close to the rocks but were able to turn in time. Being the nerd that I am, I thought about Odysseus and other ancient mariners trying to sail through these waters. It would be terrifying. Anyway, the fog burned off by early afternoon and we had smooth waters all the way back. We stopped once for a quick swim, right out in the middle of the Mediterranean, no land in sight. I took lots of naps on the boat and generally did nothing. We made it back to port around 9:30 last night and then everyone returned to Rome. I was salty, sunscreen-y, and burnt so a shower was imperative. It was an amazing trip; I think I need to get a boat and live on it. But I also need someone to sail it because I don't have those skills yet. So, who wants in on this plan? Everyone. But really, if you get a chance to sail on the Mediterranean, take it. It's beautiful. We lucked out with some gorgeous weather but still...it would be amazing no matter what. Imagine a picture of a white sailboat on deep blue waters with bright blue skies and puffy white clouds behind it. That's what it was like. Perfect.
I want to be back on the boat right now, instead I am procrastinating. Whenever I get around beaches and water, I'm convinced that I should live there. Of course, that's how I feel wherever I am. Wow, that was a great weekend. A nice mini vacation before finals. This weekend it's both Esther's and Pooja's birthdays so we probably going to go somewhere. I don't know where that might be though...Sicily, Croatia, France...all possibilities. It's up to the birthday girls to decide. That will be another nice mini vacation before finals. I'm taking a lot of vacations. From what? I don't know. I certainly haven't been writing my papers. But I am going to start them right now. Maybe.