"It's not always plain sailing, but there is beauty in a distant storm" Setting sail from #reykjavik harbour with @windstarcruises to the rousing chords of Vangelis "Conquest of Paradise" certainly got the blood pumping. The tune is the played by #StarPride and the other ships of the fleet when departing any port. The signature tune of the company, it seems to set the mood for the #cruise to follow. Add a few cocktails, passengers determined to enjoy the open ocean and ports of call, and a few waving bystanders on the quay sending us on our way and the adventurous voyage began. Reykjavik had treated me to the most unpleasant Icelandic weather during my overnight stay, grey skies and intermiittent drizzle, but as the ship sailed proudly past the harbour breakwater, the clouds drifted apart revealing the blue which had been concealed so well. Continuing on to sea, we passed through a few heavy showers, yet the sea remained calm, gannets and a variety of sea gulls glided by, some passengers spotted a whale. The heavier rain threatened in the distance, never quite coming good on the threat. As the sun slowly drizzled from the sky, lighting up the horizon, the distant rain showers assumed an almost ethereal beauty. I have to confess to always being slightly sceptical of cruising, large ocean going hotels with many thousands of guests. Being iintroduced to the pleasures of a cruise through the smaller vessels of Windstar I'm having to reconsider my stance. There is something special, peaceful about sailing, the open ocean with little or without any land in site, and only the company of seabirds. I spent more than an hour on my balcony, just gazing at the slight swell of the sea. This is an experience which I am sure will be highly enjoyable and possibly even a life changing one. TIP: Look for the beauty in the unusual, the things others merely dismiss, ignore or just don't see. They form a chapter in the tale, the art of visual storytelling is about piecing the fragments of the puzzle together to complete the whole picture. Follow my exciting voyage around the "Lands of the Midnight Sun" here on Instagram and Twitter using the MalloryOnTravel accounts. (at Reykjavík, Iceland)
