Oh the Places I'll Go

 Western history tells of the explorations and “discovery” of new worlds by the Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch.  Many of the modern nations in the Americas and Africa were at one time or another occupied and controlled by one of these explorer nations.  A decree by Pope Alexander VI in 1494, in negotiations with Spain and Portugal, divided the world by establishing a line of demarcation approximately 370 miles (600 km) west of the Cape Verde Islands.  Spain was given the right to control lands west of the line, including the Americas, while Portugal could conquer the lands east of the line, including parts of Africa and Asia.   In 1506 the line of demarcation was moved farther west so that Portugal could lay claim to what is now Brazil.  Many of the nations I visited on the Grand Voyage I am currently undertaking speak either Spanish or Portuguese, depending on which country colonized them. Nearing Africa, our cruise ship (Oceania’s Marina) ...

This morning as I began another day cruising across the Pacific Ocean, the scene outside my stateroom window was much the same as the past several mornings.  The sun was covered by billowy layers of clouds, and the sea was gently undulating with an occasional white cap as a wave broke. As the day has gone along, the wind has picked up, and there are more white caps among the waves. The ship rocks gently, not so much that it makes me ill, but enough to keep me aware that we are on the ocean. The calm waters of the Pacific Ocean    There is a straight line where the sky and ocean meet.  It is easy to see why early peoples believed the earth to be flat.  There is no hint of a contour to the horizon.  Even though I can’t see evidence of it, I know that the world is indeed round and that the sun travels around it each day.  We received a reminder of this in the ship’s daily briefing paper “Reflections” which was left on my bed last night....