I hadn't had too many boat experiences in my life. And cruise experiences? Oh, no. Not at all. Lots of road trips though, which I always loved. And yeah, I have driven a jet ski, experienced a paddle boat, and even ridden on a ferry. But to actually live on a ship or large boat was beyond my list of things that I had done or even imagined doing.
So as I embarked on a journey (by airplane) to England in 2007, I didn't know that living on a small ship was going to be a part of the months ahead. I was going there to attend a school, and half way through, the school would choose for me and my class, where in the world we would be sent to do outreach. I think I pictured going to Africa. I was curious as everyone else where the surprise location would be.
And then one day they told us: We were going to Albania! I was very excited as I did know a couple of Albanians back in America, and now I was going to visit their country! It never even occurred to me as a possibility, that we would go to this less-heard-of location. And then there was that other unique part: We would get there by ship!
January 2008 found us having flown to Greece, spending the night there, eating some unique breakfast that I think had feta cheese baked into it and walking on the sidewalks with orange trees planted in spaces saved for them. Soon we would meet up with the ship and it's crew and become a part of the crew. We didn't want to spend a second night in Greece due to the freezing cold night we had with no heater, but that is a whole other story.
Late that night, I slept very well, rocking lightly in my top bunk bed down in the bottom of the big boat. Well, this was definitely a new experience for me! After a good night's sleep, we began our journey to Albania, which took a few days I think (like 3 maybe? It's been awhile, so I'm forgetting details now). We even passed through the Corinth Canal to get there. That was something!
It's funny how life brings surprises. Sometimes good; sometimes bad. When I first left home, I didn't know that I would be living on a ship in the Albanian harbor for two months of my journey away!
There we lived like it was our house, met the kind people of Albania, and shared life with them. I learned a lot from this adventure and I have a special place in my heart for Albanians wherever I meet them now.
As a result of living on a ship, perhaps it's no surprise that I also have an exposure to the cheerful nautical flags that can be used to decorate a ship. As we fast-forward my life 10 or 11 years, we find me back in America as a soap maker. It seems so unrelated, I know -- but it's not.
You see, making handmade soap can be a beautiful artful expression, and the ideas that one carries with them of flowers, mountains and other things they have seen could very likely show up in soap! Yes, even a bar of soap can be art. It's no wonder that I found a way to create a soap bar that looks like a nautical flag!
You can watch me make them on this video:
And that is the story of how "Nautical" soap came to be recently. I mean, would I have thought of making a nautical flag soap bar without that experience? Maybe; maybe not. But the traveling happened, and the soap was made, and you just never know what it is that influences you!
You can buy this soap while supplies last right here: http://lathersforlife.com/store/p60/Nautical_for_Men.html
If they are gone by the time you read this, please look around my shop here: http://lathersforlife.com/index.html
My shop only ships within the United States, but I have a lot of soaps and more in this Global Ebay shop here:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/shathom_99/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
I'm always making new soap bars and other unique handmade beauty and spa items!
What a great backstory to such pretty soap!