The question we get asked most... "What do you do all day?"

 

Talaria's galley (kitchen)

What do you do all day?  Well a lot of things actually.  When we set out on this journey our goal was to "see as much of the world as we could".  We had grown tired of the "ordinary life".  For us life had become mundane and boring.  The monotony of the daily cycle: get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, read awhile, go to bed and next day repeat had lost its appeal. Fortunately for us there were a series of  unexpected "life events" that made us reconsider and ultimately decide to live differently.  We always knew we wanted to buy a boat and go sailing when we retired so we just moved up the timeline!

Talaria's Salon (living room)

Before I get into what we do with our time.  I will clear up some misconceptions about our "living space".  Yes, we live on a boat so we take our home with us wherever we go.  We typically describe her as a "small NYC apartment".  We have two berths (bedrooms), a head (bathroom) with a separate shower and a galley (kitchen) that has two refrigerators, two small freezers and a three burner stove with an oven.  Our "floating home" has air conditioning and a propane furnace that we refer to as our "fireplace".  We use solar and wind for power when not connected to shore power.  And we can make our own water as we have a "water maker" which is essentially a small desalinator.  We have 6 feet 4 inches of headroom so we don't have to scrunch down when inside.  People often wonder how we can stand to live in such a small space.  The difference is that we live most of our lives outside, so its not small at all.  We are almost always outside or at least have the hatch open so we don't feel cooped up.  

Sunset in Turkey

 Unless obscured by a mountain we typically see the sunset every day.  If you have never spent the entire day - all 24 hours outside you should try it.  Its amazing - to see the sun rise and set all in the same day.  The first time I realized I had been outside for the entire 24 hours my thought was - "I have never witnessed the entire day outside before, not once my entire life!".  The connection you feel with nature grows stronger and becomes more real as you become more aware of the forces of nature around you.  

Sunset in Turkey

 So what do we do?  Well... ordinary things like laundry, grocery shopping, boat cleaning and maintenance.  We do not have a washer and dryer so laundry takes a bit more time as we have to use the marina laundry or find a laundry in some town.  Grocery shopping has to be done every couple of days as we do not have a car.  We typically walk to the grocery and then load the food in our backpacks and walk back.  Occasionally, we eat out at a restaurant but usually we cook.  

Varnishing

 There is always some maintenance to do such as varnishing the brightwork and painting the bottom.  We try to do that work on the off season if we can.  During "sailing season" we like to be sailing.  There is a fair amount of time spent on trip planning and weather watching.  For the most part we try to plan short hops up or down the coast.  

Our friend Bill - on passage from the Azores to mainland Portugal

 But, of course, a long passage requires a bit more planning.  For example, our trip from the Azores to mainland Portugal (a week long trip) required considerably more planning.  

Heavy seas on passage from Azores to mainland Portugal

Once we arrive at our destination we explore.  We visit the town and any nearby sites.  Its impossible to see everything but we try to see the highlights of whatever country we are in.  We tend to see ourselves as "travelers/sailors" and not tourists.  In that regard, we try to get to know local people and really get a feel for the place and their culture.  We don't speak many languages but we do our very best to pick up the basic phrases (please and thank you, hello and goodbye etc...) wherever we are.  Learning at least a small smattering of their language goes a long way towards dissolving barriers.

 

Hiking in Turkey with friends

Sailors are a unique breed - we tend to see ourselves as citizens of the world and in that regard we see the whole world as our playground.  We meet and make friends with folks from all over the world.  The conversation typically revolves around sailing - naturally.  But we also learn about each other and each others countries.  The people we meet tend to just seamlessly adapt to another culture- they appreciate, respect and celebrate cultural differences.  

Dinner with new friends in Turkey

 

 

 

 Our life is a very social life and a very active life.  It is never boring and often challenging.  But in our view all the challenges and occasional discomfort are worth it.  Neither of us would be happy with a life filled with TV and mass consumerism.  

Sailing with friends in Turkey

 

We love the water, love being outside and love to sail.  For the first time in our lives we feel unencumbered.  There is nothing to tie us down and we feel free.  So... that is what we do.  We sail, explore countries, socialize with other sailors, plan future trips, maintain Talaria, read a lot and do ordinary life things.  We study languages and history.  And we experience new foods and cultures. 

Shrimp for dinner

 

Mel on watch

 

 

 

Its a great life and one we hope to enjoy for some time to come.  Is it always perfect?  Nope!  There are sleepless nights, stressful nights and things that break.  Sometimes there are really big things that break.  Our resilience is tested over and over... but those challenges keep us strong.  So through it all we are both grateful and happy. 

Arches

Colosseum

Rome's gift to the world, the Roman arch.  While its true that other cultures knew of and used arches in a limited way, it was the Romans who figured out how to use them to support the weight of massive buildings.  The Colosseum and Pantheon are two significant examples.  The fact that these structures still stand nearly 2000 years later is a testament to their genius.

In addition to the use of arches in buildings, the Romans also used arches to commemorate victorious generals and their triumphs.  Occasionally the arch was used to acknowledge an achievement such as the completion of a road or bridge.  In that regard, the arch was central to the expansion of the Roman empire which would not have been possible without bridges built with arches.

Arch of Constantine

Initially, I was not exceptionally enthused about visiting the Colosseum considering its history.  Although it is history, I find the whole idea of gladiators repulsive.  But I was so glad that I overcame that and visited.  The structure itself is absolutely amazing.  At one time the entire outside structure was covered in marble.  But the inside is an even greater display of their creativity.  Under the Colosseum floor was an outstanding system for putting on a show.  And that is what is was - a show. There were  were compartments for holding the animals, props and gladiators.  And there were elevators to bring them up to the Colosseum floor.  

Compartments under the Colosseum floor

 

 

To the right are the small compartments under the Colosseum floor and below is the elevator with a trap door.  The Colosseum was used for around 400 years and during that time it is estimated that approximately 400,000 people died here.  Apparently, the "shows" were all day affairs composed of several "acts" and an "intermission".  Similar to today there were vendors that sold food and other items to the audience.

Elevator

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Throughout the structure it is easy to see the extensive use of arches.  Arches and columns.  Once the Colosseum was no longer used Romans began to see the Colosseum as a "quarry".  Much of the structure was carted off for personal use.  It wasn't until the 19th century that preservation efforts really took hold at the behest of Pope Pius VIII.

 

 

 

Colosseum

 Another fine example of the use of arches in construction is the Pantheon.  The Pantheon holds the distinction of being the best preserved monument from ancient Rome.  Originally a temple for the Roman Gods the Pantheon is now a Catholic church.  Amazingly, nearly 2000 years after the Pantheon was built it still has the worlds largest concrete dome that is not reinforced. 

Pantheon

 

Inside the Pantheon - arches and columns

 

Services are still held at the Pantheon but is also serves as the burial place of of some important folks. Notably the painter Raphael is buried in the Pantheon along with some Kings and a Queen.  The interior marble of the building has largely survived but the exterior marble did not.

With the marble facade missing on the exterior of the Pantheon it is easy to see the arches.  It seems such a simple thing but that simple "architectural" element essentially allowed the creation of the Roman Empire and led the way for modern architecture.  Perfection of arches allowed Romans to build aqueducts that supplied water to Roman citizens, bridges that connected regions allowing expansion of the empire and the massive expansion of building projects.  Romans owed much to that simple arch but so do we as it was foundational.