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)
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
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.
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.
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
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.”
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
As I edit pictures I have to make decisions. On the first round I delete obviously bad pictures. On the second round I pick the best from among near duplicates. Often I bracket shots at different exposures or with slightly … Continue reading If I Had More Time I Would Have Written A Shorter Letter.
Day two in Antarctica is the type of day you cruise for, live for. I’ve already written about the critters, but the amazing part of it was the clouds that lifted showing the mountain peaks and providing a textured sky … Continue reading The Type of Day You Live For
Based on the sunset the day ahead looked promising. I set the alarm for 6:45. At 7 AM, as we were getting ready, the Captain came on the horn telling us that there was a pod of Orc (killer whales) … Continue reading Antarctica Day 2, Critters.
We set the alarm for 6:45 to make sure we didn’t miss anything. It was an overcast day with lifting fog. On day one we couldn’t see the mountaintops until just before sunset. We started the day sailing by Palmer … Continue reading Antarctica, Day One.
There may be no time in life more exciting than beginning college. We encounter new ideas, new friends, new challenges – ADVENTURE! Perhaps we are on our own for the first time. We work harder and play harder than ever … Continue reading Recapture (Thoughts on travel to the Antarctic.)
This week in Antarctica we encountered weather ranging from moody mist, to brilliant high contrast sunshine to down to the deck fog. Temperatures ranged from the mid-20s to the mid-30s and photographic conditions varied widely. I posted a lot of … Continue reading Black and White Antarctic
“The End of the World.” That’s the way Ushuaia brands itself. Also as the Capital of the Malvinas (Falkland Islands.) It is a beautiful city on Tierra Del Fuego Island but no matter where you look, except straight behind the … Continue reading Fin del Mundo
I think the reason I picked this stateroom on the port side of Volendam was because I remembered being on the port side of Prinsendam 10 years ago, waking up in these waters, opening the window drapes and saying “Oh … Continue reading Glacier Alley
…before school starts. Daniel, our cruise director, proudly announced that of the three cruise ships into Punta Arenas, ours was the only one docking the others were tendering in. As it turned out they got to wait in their warm … Continue reading The Last Days of Freedom…
It reminded me of my first trip on the Alaska Marine Highway’s MV Matanuska in 1973. They had not yet added stretched her and added the solarium. We were sitting in the forward observation lounge looking at fantastic scenery that … Continue reading Fjords and Glaciers
…Eat Farmed Salmon” is a popular bumper sticker in coastal Alaska. Another one reads “Real Fish Don’t Eat Pellets.” Opposition to fish farming is almost a part of an Alaskan’s creed. Back in the late ‘60s the Norwegian Grønvets brothers … Continue reading “Friends Don’t Let Friends…
On Sunday we called at Puerto Chacabuco. Again, the Cruise Director and Loney Planed agree, nothing here, get out of town. We chose to take a bus excursion into the Andes and the regional capital of Coyhaique. Normally the border … Continue reading I Climb the Empire State Building
One of the features of Chiloe district homes is the shingles used for siding. Even though many of the walls are now sided with corrugated steel usually one face, or part of a house face, is sided with shingles. The … Continue reading Shingles and Stilts, A Chiloe Sidebar.
I have been taken with rural wooden churches since I was a freshman at St. Olaf College. Before I realized that God really didn’t care if I continued to go to the Episcopal Church or if I went to Boe … Continue reading Chiloé’s Wooden Churches
Both Lonely Planet and our Cruise Director agree that the best thing to do in Puerto Montt is to get out of town and head toward Chile’s Lake District, visit the national Parks, see the volcanos and smell the roses … Continue reading Spinning Wheels
We had our Tuesday on Thursday. Tuesday’s sea day was supposed to bring both an all hands drill followed by the “Glampout” (Think glamorous campout). But the seas were rough, and the captain put it off until Thursday. When Thursday … Continue reading Repeat Sea Day
For a full sea day before landing on Robinson Crusoe Island both the Cruise Director and Captain had been warning us about the tender operation. It would be bouncy, it would be slippery, if you have any doubts stay on … Continue reading Robinson Crusoe Redux