Christmastide, O Christmastide.....

by Mary Jo

Like last year, we're celebrating the whole of “Christmastide” —that is, the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas which run from Christmas Day to January 5th, the eve of Epiphany. 

So every day of Christmastide, a Wench will post a short little blog just for fun, as a gift to our readers.  I’m taking the opportunity to launch  a virtual voyage on the luxury yacht Wenchly Winds, which would look much like this charter sailing ship, the Liberty Clipper.

With 14 cabins, there’s room for any Wench who wants to come on her dream voyage.  There's room for you, too, if you’d like to join us for a fantasy cruise in good company.

My first stop will be Malta. I first became really aware of the island when I read Dorothy Dunnett’s The Disorderly Knights in her marvelous Lymond Chronicles series.  Much of the story takes place there, and the knights of the title are the Knights of Malta, an order of fighting monks created to protect pilgrims during the period of the Crusades. 

Malta is a fascinating crossroads of the Mediterranean, with an unusual language descended from the ancient Phoenician traders.  The island intrigued me so that I made it the home of the hero of my last Guardian novel, A Distant Magic.  Nikolai is a combination of Maltese, African, and maybe Russian.  (His mother wasn’t really sure.)  He made a fine dark hero and wizard. 

Feel free to join me on this virtual visit on the Wenchly Winds, especially if you’re in some place cold and miserable now!

Where would you like to travel on a fantasy cruise to anywhere you'd like to go?

Mary Jo

Comments

[Anne Gracie]

Mary Jo, for me, it would be a cruise through the Whitsunday Passage, off the coast of far North Queensland (Australia) just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. There's a picture here:
http://tinyurl.com/ybqwb8h
Not in January, though -- it would be too hot and sticky. My eldest sister did it once with her husband and 3 kids when the kids were quite small. They sailed, fished, swam, and anchored overnight, going ashore to light a fire on the beach and barbecue the fish they'd caught. It sounded magical.

[Patricia Barraclough]

I like surprises. I'm willing to go anywhere the wind takes us.

[Maggie Robinson/Margaret Rowe]

Oh, I love the Lymond Chronicles. I rescued them from a library discard and was simply swept away (and now thinking of being swept away by the Wenchly Winds, LOL).

I'm actually going on a cruise for the first time ever in February, and if my renewed passport comes back in time, I'll be able to get off the ship at 2 ports in Mexico. But on an imaginary trip, I'd probably want to go to Scottish islands in the summer.

[Mary Jo Putney]

From MJP:

Patricia, there is something deeply romantic about the idea of letting the winds guide us to our destinations. But I definitely want to put Anne's Whitsunday Islands on the itinerary! August would be a good month, I think.

Maggie, aren't the Lymond Chronicles amazing? Dunnett is one of the writers who shaped me as a historical authors. Enjoy your cruise.

As for cruising the Scottish islands--Lindblad/National Geographic has one fabulous itinerary that goes from the Hebrides to the Shetlands and the Orkneys and even up to Fair Isle, I think. I'll join you on that one!

Mary Jo

[Andrea Penrose]

Mary Jo, I vote for a stop at Crete. I recently read a historical mystery there there, and it reminded me how much I would love to explore that part of the world. And then we would have to continue through the rest of the Greek isles, soaking up the storied ambiance of Homer's wine-dark seas.

[NinaP]

Oh, what Fun!!

But, the problem with me and travel is that my imagination is grossly limited by the few real places I've been.

So, here is my wenchling wish. Oh great Wenchly Winds, take me to a land (real if you can) where joy and celebration bursts forth from hard work and grit. Where the people are earthy, and their language peppered with colloquialisms steeped in some fascinating accent. Then fill the wide-open spaces with history and lore and many places where we can explore (preferably on foot or horseback) and few have visited before. And the weather... make it misty and warm or sunny and cold, but always ever changing.

That's not too hard for the Wenchly Winds is it, Mary Jo? How should I pack?

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Cara/Andrea, Crete is DEFINITELY on the itinerary! I've always wanted to go there.

Nina--pack a cozy sweater and fuzzy slippers, since you'll find this marvelous land only between the pages of books. So dress to curl up in a really comfortable chair and read all the livelong day. *g*

Mary Jo

[Sherrie Holmes]

From Sherrie:
Happy Holidays to all the Wenches and Wench blog readers! My e-mail server's been down for days, so I'm glad to have this opportunity to connect with you all in this very fine venue.

Mary Jo, I will gladly sail anywhere the Wenchly Winds takes us, because I'll be in lovely company with luxury accommodations. I'm assuming there will be a masseuse aboard, because I desperately need a soothing massage. And a Starbucks on board for my daily mocha. And a master chef to whip up the most awesome delicacies. And a pastry chef for those luscious desserts. And . . . you know, I'd be perfectly content to just stay on the ship and never leave!

That said, there are some places I would love to visit, because I have little opportunity for travel. My first choice would be the U.K., because I have many Internet friends there, and because I'd love to visit all the historical places I've read about for so many years.

I'd love to visit France, for the history and romance. And then, please lord, someplace--anyplace--that is warm! It's winter here in the Pacific NW and we've been having hard freezes every night. At 2:15 p.m, the ground is still rock hard and white with frost. So whisk me away, Wenchly Winds!

[Sue]

I vote for Alexandria with a side trip down the Nile. I'm hoping to get to Egypt next year for Christmas but I'd love to come with all of you as well.

[JudiDW]

I ADORE Dorothy Dunnett! Several years ago when we visited Istanbul I brought along the volume of the Lymond Chronicles that is set in the Topkapi Palace--it was very cool to re-read it while we were there. I'm currently on vacation in warm sunny Puerto Rico (flew here, didn't cruise) but I am hoping to adventure some day on an Antarctic cruise. Now wouldn't that be an interesting setting for a romance novel???

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Yes, Sherrie--our yacht will certainly have a masseuse, a Starbucks, and a pastry chef. The head chef will go to local markets to acquire the best and freshest produce wherever we visit.

Sue, Alexandria would be wonderful! I've done the Nile cruise, but it's been many years and I ready to do it again. And Sherrie--it's usually warm in Egypt. Certainly warmer than Washington State is now!

Judith DW, that Dunnett would be PAWNS IN FRANKINCENSE, wouldn't it? With that *stunning" chess match!

As for a romance in Antarctica--you're in luck! Our Nicola's next book, A WHISPER OF SCANDAL, is partially set north of the Arctic Circle, and she really makes the setting come alive.A great story, too.

I'll be posting again on Monday, so I shall think of new destinations for the Wenchly Winds. *g*

Mary Jo

[NinaP]

Hey Mary Jo, I'm in luck! Santa brought me a cozy sweater and fuzzy slippers for Christmas. Now all I need is a new MJP. Got one of those?

Question: Is reading permitted upon the posh decks of the Wenchly Winds? I've always wanted to be in two magical places at once.

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Nina, reading is not only permitted but encouraged. Probably even required.

If you're looking for something from me, CHALICE OF ROSES, an anthology by me, Jo, Barbara Samuel, and Karen Harbaugh is a January release and will probably hit stores this week. Grail romances set in many different time periods.