time we had already passed the William Preston Lane (Bay) bridge, about
15 miles from the port. I walked about 3 miles on deck 10, finishing
just after 6 as the sun rose over Sparrows Point and we passed under the
Francis Scott Bridge. We docked at 6:30 and Captain Gus gave his
"Welcome to Baltimore" message at 7. His final words of wisdom were
"Don't think outside the box, think with no box".
I was scheduled for departure from Boleros between 8:45 and 9, and
returned to my cabin for the last time after breakfast near 8.
I have been using Firefox as my browser of choice, and found it a little
awkward when working with the ship's internet and had an unfortunate
final encounter. Although the logout screens were showing I had 2 hours
left of my 500 purchased internet minutes, my final bill charged me at
the per-minute rate for my last 2 days of use. A visit to guest
relations was able to rectify that situation.
We actually left Boleros just past 9, and my transfer to BWI airport
left the port about 10. My final link was my county's transit system
which left BWI at 11 and got me to my door just after 12. The afternoon
was quite busy with mail pickup and grocery shopping for my several
weeks coping with the real world.
For my final parting shot, the cruise ended much as it started. We
approached and sailed past Fort McHenry, home of our National Anthem by
"The Dawn's Early Light". While this National Treasure is not tall like
the statue of Liberty, it is still a privilege to in some way trace the
footsteps of Francis Scott Key.
Roy
