The ship is docked here in port under mostly cloudy skies and on calm seas. The town, set on a low bluff immediately ahead of the ship’s bow, was still sleeping when we arrived. Colorful houses intermingle with unpainted cement structures. They feature few architectural details other than occasional slanted terracotta shingled roofs to shade the porches that face the harbor.
The west side of the island, where we are docked, is particularly green (compared to what is typical at this time of year), and there was more rain here last night. The trail for which we’re headed may be washed out in places, so there is great opportunity for adventure! Will report more back after our all-day hike.
Meanwhile, a bit about the two seminar groups yesterday afternoon… They both went smoothly, and the 38 participants seemingly enjoyed the collaborative exploration of Tennyson’s Ulysses. The discussion ranged from the question of why people explore, what it means to explore—physical journeys and mental or intellectual exploration—whether Ulysses was himself an explorer, and what happens when one ceases to explore. Participants wondered about the roles of vulnerability, curiosity, and focus in the lives of explorers, as they worked together to build connections between their own experiences and the ideas in the poem.
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