He remembers my birthday, buys the occasional rose and puts up with a lot. But when he wanted to take a cruise, I had serious doubts about our relationship.
I had no quibbles with the ports of call: 10 stops between the white cliffs of Dover, England and Barcelona, Spain. Scarily, the Constellation turned out to be a story home to 2, passengers. But our stateroom was a nice surprise. It was bright, airy and had a balcony. Eventually, Joe and I ditched the tours, which cost extra. I took pride in convincing him to take a short train ride in France so we could see Nice, as well as go off on our own to order lunch in Spain.
As for on-board meals, I found dinners to be long and too dressy. But after dinner, we went to several fun bars. The best scene was in Reflections, the nightclub at the front of the boat. It was there that we sat one morning, the sun coming up, drinking margaritas and watching the scenery as we sailed through the Strait of Gilbraltar. But my favorite moments Came on days in port. I loved watching the local pilot navigate us out of the harbor and then jump from the Constellation into a motorboat, disappearing from sight.
Does that make me a cruiser? Maybe just a little bit. The only thing better than spending your vacation on the couch is spending it on one that floats. The Constellation had everything a man could ask for: food, movies, a cigar bar, a nightclub, people serving you hand and foot. Have I already mentioned the food? Most importantly, it had Emily. Even if she was unsure about the whole thing. The first day we discovered the basketball court and jogging track.
But no matter. We were together, in Europe. Brugge, Belgium, was the first stop, and we signed up for a village tour. My girlfriend, however, pouted until I walked around for four extra hours. After that came Le Havre, France, where everyone else went to Paris and we spent the day exploring a local ghetto.
