Cruising Not Surfing

For nine days I will be traveling with solar eclipse chasers who are part of an "astronomy vacation" to see a four-minute eclipse in the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of Cyprus. I will also be out of Internet contact for perhaps the longest period in an entire decade, although I'm still note-taking for this blog. Aboard the luxurious Costa Fortuna, I'll be catching up on my reading and looking out on the wine-dark sea of the epic bards.

In the Internet era, it's interesting to contemplate the urge to still see things with one's own eyes rather than experience them virtually. I didn't travel to the site on Google Earth or see the event live via a webcam. Instead I joined other face-to-face sun-worshippers among the Italian, French, and German passengers and Indian and Filipino crew to witness it for myself.