River Day (Not a Sea Day.)
Today our ocean cruise became a river cruise. Last night we crossed the bar and we woke up this morning in the Amazon River. The river runs west-southwest from its mouth, which is just above the equator. So, we crossed … Continue reading River Day (Not a Sea Day.)
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
It’s sea day just short of halfway through the cruise and I am stringing together a group of little notes that I made to describe things that didn’t make it into the main blog posts. The Good, the Bad and … Continue reading The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Fortaleza
The forecast called for thunderstorms but the only rain we encountered was at sail-in which granted us a full rainbow as we pulled into the city. Many of the Fortaleza tours centered around the beaches and it was tempting. But … Continue reading Fortaleza
A 21st Century Tardis, Recife
This is our third visit to Recife but the first time we were able to walk from the spiffy modern cruise terminal to the old town. In the past we were given dire warnings about the dangers of the street … Continue reading A 21st Century Tardis, Recife
Lower Town, Salvador, Bahia
When we visited Salvador Bahia, I wanted to go back to the Sao Francisco Jesuit church. The baroque interior is completely covered in gold leaf. St. Francis would be appalled, and I hope, so would Pope Francis. I wanted to … Continue reading Lower Town, Salvador, Bahia
A Dance, A Game or a Martial Art?
On the ship we have a Brazilin interpretive team, cultural ambassadors, “Oi Brasil” Hello Brazil. The 10-member team has lecturers, dancers, musicians, and arts and crafts experts. I enjoyed lectures, dance demonstrations (although I am not a participant) and drumming … Continue reading A Dance, A Game or a Martial Art?
A Walk through Buenos Aires
Another Photo Gallery. On Day two in Buenos Aires we actually hopped off the bus at an area that was originally supposed to be the port area for the city. It had canals and docks for ships that were cut … Continue reading A Walk through Buenos Aires
No Time to Hop Off.
A photo gallery. The Gray Line Hop on Hop Off bus is a good way to get around this sprawling city with a 15 million metro population. The tour shows off this city of monuments, broad boulevards, green and leafy … Continue reading No Time to Hop Off.
A Pacific Northwest Totem Pole in the Argentine Northeast.
I take pictures of totem poles and the process of carving them. If you search this blog you will see many posts about the creation of poles. So it really peaked my curiosity when the last time we were in … Continue reading A Pacific Northwest Totem Pole in the Argentine Northeast.
A Little Bit the Head of Maradona…
…A Little Bit the Hand of God. Driving around Buenos Aires in the open-air top of a hop on hop off bus is a colorful experience. The city is known for its parks, broad boulevards, green parks, white marble statues … Continue reading A Little Bit the Head of Maradona…
The Buddha and Bridget Bardot
Armação dos Búzios, or just Búzios was a quiet little seaside town about three hours drive from Rio. Brigitte Bardot was looking for a quiet little seaside town, so she came to Búzios. Now it is not so quiet. It … Continue reading The Buddha and Bridget Bardot
Tramming in Rio
As we walked through the cruise terminal, a repurposed warehouse on the waterfront, the taxi touts standing by the murals along the street tried to get us into a cab. “You will get lost.”“It is dangerous, I know the neighborhoods.”“Get … Continue reading Tramming in Rio
Night, Music and Rio
I was torn. There’s a Bosa Nova club in Ipanema that I love, Bar Vinicius, on Rua Vinicius Moraes. Vinicius Moraes was a Brazilian poet who frequented the Veloso Bar and Grill across the street with his friend Tom Jobim. … Continue reading Night, Music and Rio
Two Churches in Rio
On this trip to Rio, I wanted to visit two different churches. We have tried to visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Sebastian twice before but each time it was closed. It is a massive concrete brutalist cone standing 246 … Continue reading Two Churches in Rio
“Now My Heart is Singing…
…I see Rio de Janeiro” * In my Punta del Este post I said that rather than being the first off the ship, I liked to sleep in a little. Rio is different. I was up at 5:40 to watch … Continue reading “Now My Heart is Singing…
Punta del Este, The Southernmost point in Uruguay.
When we started going on cruises 10 years ago we always wanted to be first off the ship and last back on at any port of call. The problem is that at tender ports the “Four and Five Star” mariners … Continue reading Punta del Este, The Southernmost point in Uruguay.
Advertising, Art and the Church, Montevideo Photo Galleries
Advertising and art make Montevideo’s streets colorful. This post is a sample of what we saw riding on the hop on hop off bus and walking the streets of Montevideo. Church bells are a form of advertising. As we were … Continue reading Advertising, Art and the Church, Montevideo Photo Galleries
Comfortable (Montevideo)
Montevideo feels comfortable. In a way it reminds me of Bratislava, Slovakia, which we called home for 27 months. Bratislava is the smaller capital city just down river from the larger and more glamorous Vienna. Bueno Airires is not only … Continue reading Comfortable (Montevideo)
Another Sunday in the Park, Puerto Madryn
On our drive to Gaiman we had to go through a couple of police roadblocks and check points. The driver did not like this. At one checkpoint he said the cops were looking for drugs. At one point he stopped, … Continue reading Another Sunday in the Park, Puerto Madryn
Latin-Celtic Fusion.
I never thought I would need Google Translate to get from Welsh to English while in Argentina, but there you are. The Welsh settled Northern Patagonia in 1865, looking for a place they could practice their religion that did not … Continue reading Latin-Celtic Fusion.
Looking for the Vicar of Bray in the Falklands, Redux.
Stanly in the Falkland Islands is an elusive port. We got to Port Stanly (they have since dropped the “Port.”) in in 2015 and did the almost obligatory penguin tour with a little time left to wander the islands’ capital. … Continue reading Looking for the Vicar of Bray in the Falklands, Redux.
Antarctic Coda, Artifacts
The last two times we visited Antarctica on Holland America ships I wrote codas on the experience. One entitled “You Can’t Let Nature Run Wild” quoted the late Alaskan Governor Wally Hickel. Of course, in Antarctica nature does run wild … Continue reading Antarctic Coda, Artifacts
“…Pray for Shackleton.”
When I went to bed it was still foggy, the forecast predicted more of the same. When I walked out onto my icy balcony at 7:30 it was snowing and the fog was still there, although less dense than the … Continue reading “…Pray for Shackleton.”
Day 3, A Different Day
After the experience of day 2 in Antarctica I set the alarm for 6:45. The weather forecast was for more of the same. When I got up, we were in a dense fog. Not only could I not see the … Continue reading Day 3, A Different Day