September 3, 2024
Lord Mayor of Belfast, Reception for Villa Vie Residents!
Over 60 Villa Vie Residents went to Lord Mayor Mickey Murray's Reception at Belfast City Hall, on Monday, 9/2/24. The Lord Mayor joked that we have been residents longer in Belfast, than he has been in office (just started June 3rd)! He also thanked them for providing a great economic boom to the City, over his first 3 months in office! He wished them all a speedy and safe Bon Voyage and reminded them that the Titanic was fine when it left Belfast!
We met up with the Ship in Timor Leste or East Timor, one of the youngest countries in the World . This sovereign state just gained their independence on May 20, 2002 from prior Portuguese rule (1515 until 1975) and Indonesian occupation (1975 until 1999). The Ship was anchored off the coastal town of Dili, the capital city with a population of roughly 1.4 million.
I know people laugh when I say we took a vacation from the Ship , they view this whole amazing voyage as a vacation! But the reality is the Ship is my home now, and almost everybody loves a vacation away from home, to unwind and recharge! So my life on the Odyssey, is not that different. I really appreciated my two weeks away at Eco Cove Resort , on Yeben Island in Raja Ampat, Indonesia !
I got to do 14 dives and 5 snorkel trips over our two weeks at Eco Cove Resort. I feel much more confident and comfortable diving, practice does truly help! Eco has these t-shirts that list all their Resort excursions - we made a nice dent in all of them and it's hard to pick a favorite!