Weekend in Tasmania- Pt.1

View from departing ship
Bunk, sweet Bunk

Getting ready to board the Spirit

Mark and I decided to go to Tasmania for the weekend to celebrate his birthday. We left on Friday evening, boarding the Spirit of Tasmania I about 7:00 p.m. We had a small private cabin with two bunks, a bathroom, and a porthole. The ship left port about 8:00 p.m. and we explored the different floors. We went outside onto a deck and were surrounded by blackness. You couldn't see any horizon line- it was surreal. The ship travels at 27 knots, and takes about 10 hours to reach Devonport, on the nothern border of Tasmania. (By plane, it is only an hour from Melbourne). We watched a very bad romantic comedy called Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant (like Drew, but hate Hugh). Like most less-than-average romantic comedies, it seemed okay at first, presenting an intriguing storyline, but got more ridiculous as it went along, until you think- okay, I did not want to see Hugh Grant writing bad music and kissing anyone, let alone singing a tune I will now have stuck in my head for the next 48 hours....anyway...after enjoying some cappuchino, seeing the movie, watching people who'd had too many beers trying to walk straight on a moving vessel at sea, and browsing the ship's gift shop, we called it a night, knowing that we'd land bright and early at 7:00 the next morning in Devonport, Tasmania. I felt a little sea-sick, but found that lying down on my back and closing my eyes helped. But I found it a bit hard to get to sleep in my little bunk, with the movement and the strange noises of the ship. I thought of all the different ways we could die (yep, most involve drowning at some point). Then I wondered whether I would do what the elderly couple in the Titanic movie did, and bravely, lovingly clutch Mark in his twin bunk while the violins wail above as we are quickly covered by water, sinking peacefully into the ocean...no....I'd probably panic- screaming and crying and shouting. Then I thought about all the military servicepeople, including my Grandpa Simmons, who had to be on one of these ships for lengthy periods of time and could not only drown but be blown up as well. Then I felt silly and fell asleep. Fortunately, by morning, we had arrived safely in Tasmania.