Onward to the Antipodes - October 28

Captain Jack Sparrow’s cappuccino

Now that we have crossed the Equator and the International Date Line, we are starting to hear the word “antipodes” rather often. It is the plural of “antipode,” and it means (according to Merriam-Webster) a point on the earth that is diametrically opposite. It can also mean “the exact opposite.” “Antipodes” is often used in reference to Australia and New Zealand, the assumption being that those places are at the opposite point on the earth from Great Britain, which is considered ground zero (of course). People in Australia and New Zealand do not, as far as I know, refer to Great Britain as the Antipodes, although it would be equally correct to do so. 

This lopsidedness leads me to suspect that there is (or was) a slightly pejorative innuendo to the word, a suggestion that the Antipodes is an uncivilized place, because it is the opposite of Great Britain. But, when “Antipodes” is used by Australians and New Zealanders to refer to themselves, there is a rather “in your face” sense of pride that can be detected.

Now, an interesting question is what is the opposite of “antipodes?” It is not “podes.” I looked that up. 

So, is the opposite Great Britain? Well, obviously it was at one point. Now, the term can mean the exact opposite of wherever you are, so an argument can be made that the opposite of Antipodes is “here.” 

By the way, according to Wikipedia the major cities most nearly antipodal to Auckland are Seville or Malaga, in Spain. London doesn’t really have an antipode that is a major city. London’s antipode is a patch of the Pacific Ocean. Probably near Tahiti. Anchorage’s antipode is in the ocean, south of Africa, but much closer to Antarctica than to Capetown.

But wait, there’s more. Merriam-Webster says that two opposite places or things can be described as the antipodes of each other. In other words, both places or things are antipodes. You can’t have one without the other. So, if the opposite of an antipode is an antipode, then the word “antipodes” has no opposite? Because it means “opposite?” I’m starting to feel confused. I think I’ll go watch the water drain out of the bath tub and maybe that will restore my sense of balance.

This is what law school did to me.

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One of the perks of being a Most Traveled Passenger on Princess is an invitation to a fancy luncheon with the Captain and other officers. Only the top 40 MTP’s will be invited.  We got to sit at table number one, with the Captain, because we were in the top three. Number One Most Traveled was a nice enough woman from California. Number Two was a German man who could have filled in for one of the “Wild and Crazy Guys” from that old skit on Saturday Night Live. I have never seen so much jewelry on any man or woman. Fortunately, Captain Steve is a talker.

One of the things Captain Steve talked about was the poor weather forecast, although he didn’t seem overly concerned. (If this were fiction, you would call this foreshadowing. I don’t know whether that term applies to non-fiction.)

I do have a photo of Ken and me with the Captain, but it is not accessible at this time. However, I can share some pictures of the food - which delicious!

“The Voice of the Ocean” was an unabashed copy of the TV show, “The Voice.” The contestants were passengers and the coaches were cast members and solo entertainers traveling with the ship. We found out that one of our new shipboard friends was going to be a FINALIST in the Voice of the Ocean today, so we just had to go and root for him. I’m glad we went. It was a lot of fun. I would never have gone if I hadn’t known someone in the show. Our friend did well, but he did not win. The prize was a large trophy that probably doesn’t fit in most suitcases.

I thought it was interesting that two of the six finalists sang Frank Sinatra songs. I wonder if they are told what to sing. I am a little bored with all the Frank Sinatra songs on cruise ships.

Today’s fabric is Ocean, by Kaffe Fassett Collective.