We are sailing on the Seabourn Ovation, a ship put into service in 2018 – but it’s technically newer than that after being mothballed over a year during Covid.

It holds 600 passengers, but is only half full.

On many past cruises it was not uncommon for me to be one of the younger passengers. This is not a status I expected in my mid fifties, but we are definitely bringing up the bottom of the age range on this sailing. We’re really tired of fellow passengers calling us young whippersnappers.

The first night aboard we went to the live show, full of high-octane songs performed solidly by talented performers. But the audience was right out of Night of the Living Dead. After every song we clapped enthusiastically while the rest of the crowd mumbled, “brains… brains!”

However, during the final song of the night (We Will Rock You, by Queen), one woman, who had sat stone-faced and unmoving through the entire show, suddenly came to life. While her face remained statuesque, she began enthusiastically clapping her hands and stomping her feet to the music. So I guess there’s still some life left in our fellow passengers – or maybe Freddy Mercury is just that good!

Our first stop on the cruise was Livorno, which was just a gateway to visit the incomparable Florence; the place where The Renaissance was born. Regrettably, the tour we booked through the ship got canceled so we were left on our own. To the rescue came Rick Steves, whose audio guide was extremely helpful in navigating the city and getting the historical details that brought context to the sites we were seeing.

We missed out seeing the David as a result of the cancellation, but more than made up for it with our self-guided tour. Like most probably agree, I feel the highlight in Florence is the Duomo – the most beautifully decorated exterior of any church I’ve ever seen.

Of lesser repute is the adjoining baptistry, with cast-bronze doors many say launched The Renaissance.

The artist, Lorenzo Ghiberti, spent 27 years crafting these doors. Made from gilded bronze they depict bible stories, and were some of the earliest examples of using depth and perspective – something that largely defined Renaissance art.

Michelangelo marveled at them, describing this incredible work of art as the Gates to Paradise.

Look at the perceived depth of this one panel, even though, in reality, it’s less than an inch thick!! Pretty unbelievable given it was finished in 1451 – about the same time some of our fellow cruisers were born.

We saw many of the other historical sites you expect to see in Florence, but also saw something we didn’t expect – an acoustic funk, pop-up street band playing Ray Charles, James Brown, Uptown Funk and the Tequila song from Pee-Wee Hermann.

After a thoroughly enjoyable night on the ship, including dining Alfresco on the outdoor deck, we spent today in the port of Propriano in Corsica. This is the first city that was new to me, which will be true for every stop from here on. We spent most of the day enjoying the amenities of the ship, including some acupuncture for my back, but did find time to wander the tourist area of the town where everything was in French and there were no English translations. It’s clear that Corsica, which is part of France, does not cater to non French speaking tourists. Fortunately, I still remember 18% of the French I took in high school. Unfortunately, when I thought I was ordering some crepes, it turns out I actually ordered this hat:

I will spend tonight studying up, since tomorrow we will be in Marseilles, France and I’ll need to do better!