Picking up my eclipse glasses, I headed for the deck. I sat on the chairs with Hugh, Wood and Kent, my dinnermates. The background music was Moon River, Total Eclipse of My Heart, I'm Walking on Sunshine - any song having to do with the moon and sun, while people were popping champagne, gearing up their cameras and binoculars and getting ready. Around us, I stared at the increasing shadows - on the sea, on the buildings. It appeared to look like a cloud was covering up the sun, but there was no cloud. It was getting darker. The water and clouds were giving off an irridescent twilight or dusk-like hue. It was like no colors I had seen before, it gave off a luminescence and I was getting goosebumps. The eclipse was getting closer. A sweet guy named Art let me sit on his chair, right next to Barbie on her throne - I was honored, but also too excited to sit. An instrumental song came on, almost Enya like, but perfect for the moment. We were holding hands with each other and staring everywhere - at the darkening skies, at the shadows coming across the ocean, at the eclipse through our glasses and at each other. Through the glasses with each passing second, the orange of the sun was waning, about to disappear. It was disappearing. Suddenly, someone shouted NOW! We all took off our sunglasses. My heart pounded. My legs trembled as I stared directly into the sun. It was breathtaking, absolutely spectacular! What I saw was a diamond ring in the sky, a complete circle of black, with this brilliant diamond light shooting out in wings all around it, fluttering and flashing like a gemstone giving off its deepest light. There were two visible planets - one above it and one below it. Day had turned to night. It was dark out, not pitch black, but a dark, dark blue. Around the sun, there was a patch of brilliant blue grey, not black like all the previous pictures I had seen. Goosebumps were running up and down my arms. People were hugging and kissing passionately, holding each other. Me and Kent kissed and held hands. It was truly spectacular, we went from screams of exhiliration to deep quiet awe. I can see why 1000's of years ago, people must have thought the Gods had taken away the sun. It lasted like this for 3 minutes, which I marveled how special this felt and how lucky to see this in my lifetime. I saw a Total Eclipse of the sun! 3 minutes ended and the glasses had to be put back on as the eclipse would reverse sides for the next few hours. I was still trembling - I had witnessed a purely magical cosmic event of day turning to night. It looked again like dawn. I hugged everyone as we wandered around the ship. I stared with my glasses at a quiet place overlooking the clear sea - I felt wonderful.