July 30, 2014, 16:01, La Goulette, Tunisia

The Mediterranean Sea beacons weary travelers from all around. Its crystal clear waters in shallow depths, its combination of rocky and sandy beaches, its towns and cities call out for visitors. As we sit here in port, about to set sail for Barcelona, we look across the sea port to see a beautiful place with a gorgeous beach. I have no idea what the name of the town is but it appears quite large. There are mountains in the background. Thank goodness for Google Earth.

The ride last night was a bit tougher than it has been so far on the trip. I think it was because we were leaving one place in a hurry to get to another. We had to chug along, and the sea was also quite rough and windy last night. Walking on the main deck, 7 in this case, it was almost to windy to stand straight. I wasn’t really dizzy this morning but was more than I has been to date on this trip.

As we leave our last port before returning home to Barcelona and then to Little Rock, it is a bittersweet ending to a nice trip on the Med. I have enjoyed four countries, five if you count Sicily as one to its own. 5 beaches have had their sand between my toes. Many different nationalities. Many different languages. Many new customs. Many new faces. Some sad, some tragic, some happy. I wonder how different my experience had I been a non-American?

As we were sitting here, I made a list of places we want to visit. Some are in the US, and some are in other countries. I will make our next plans soon. I will make it to as many of those places as possible. I want to see the world. I love the experiences. I am a better person because of them.

For now, we bid adeau to Africa. I know not if I will ever return to this continent, but at least I can say I have been here. The finest sand I’ve ever felt between my toes, and camels on the beach. A once in a lifetime experience.