Three years ago I wrote about getting up at 5:15 so we wouldn’t miss a minute of transiting the Panama Canal. I got to the forward Crow’s Nest lounge a little early. This year we set the alarm for 6:15 … Continue reading The Second Time Around… The Panama Canal.
Central America is a land bridge where different species from North and South America meet, and sometimes cross paths. It is also on a major avian flyway. The Tortguero Canal is a fresh water canal that runs parallel and within … Continue reading Sloths, Crocs and Herons
If there’s the possibility to ride a train I will take it. Puerto Limon is connected to San Jose by a narrow gauge railway. It no longer carries passengers, except for a few miles through the outskirts of Limon and … Continue reading Banana Train
“The TRAVELER sees what he sees. The TOURIST sees what he has come to see.” — GK Chesterton Every night on the ship, on the bed, we get a card with a quote about travel along with two pieces of … Continue reading Brutalist or Welcoming? The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
The first thing I saw getting off the ship in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica was a sign that said “Costa Rica, Since 1048, No Army.” I saw that repeated on T shirts and other souvenirs, I half expected to see … Continue reading Ethnically Rich, Biologically Diverse, Economically Poor. Puerto Limon.
David Foster Wallace wrote an essay for Harpers “A Supposedly Fun Thing That I Will Never Do Again.” It was about cruising in the Caribbean. I read it right after we took our 68 day South America, Antarctica cruise and … Continue reading No Taxes Forever, On Order of the King
At times I feel like I’m crashing someone else’s party. Many of the people here have been on the world cruise before, perhaps most. Coming onboard is like being the spouse at a high school union, except both of us … Continue reading Building Civil Society on a Cruise Ship
“It gets pretty cold here at night, down to 60 degrees.” Michael Franks That line from a Michael Franks’ song comes to mind today in Fort Lauderdale. When we got up the temperature was actually 40 (“feels like 35” says my … Continue reading A Sandman Shivering on the Fort Lauderdale Beach.
“Will this be the ship that carries you away?” It’s a question my grandfather asked as a boy in Ireland. An uncle surnamed Morrison had sailed away to America to make his fortune. When he came back, rich enough to … Continue reading Will this be the Ship…. That carries us into the storm?
The MS Amsterdam sails on Thursday, but out of caution, and knowing winter in Southeast Alaska we left Sitka on New Year’s Day. While we did not need that caution our prudence was justified. Last night, after more than a … Continue reading The Alaska Airlines Milk Run.
Throughout our marriage Suzi and I have always had “Date Nights.” Often they were in the mid-afternoon while the kids were at school, long lunches. We talked about the kids, of course, but the main thing we did was dream, … Continue reading Excited and a Bit Nervous.
Suzi and I celebrated our 50th anniversary (a little early, our anniversary is in June) by taking a World Cruise. The MS Amsterdam is took us to Central America, the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia, Indian Ocean … Continue reading 2018 MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage
I was flying back from an assignment in Turkey in June 2016. I follow the route of the plane on the monitor attached to the back of the seat in front of me as I read my book. I saw … Continue reading Quick Before It Melts: A Cruise Blog
I listen into other’s conversations. I can’t help it, it’s part of my reporter’s training, just like I scan the desk of anyone’s office I walk into, the walls as well, what types of pictures, awards, souvenirs or sports memorabilia … Continue reading Cruise Coda
Sail out from the final port was a bitter sweet occasion, both because it was the leaving of our last port of call, and because of the head cold. But sail out was a scenic occasion. Not only did we … Continue reading Final Sailout
I got back to the ship for a bit of a rest and to let the new cough syrup do its work. By “sail-out’ the skies had cleared and I felt well enough to go out on deck to watch … Continue reading Three Forth Bridges
Rosyth, Scotland, United Kingdom, September 6, 2017: Rosyth is a former Royal Navy base, now a privatized port. It’s just up the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital. While it’s no longer a military base a huge carrier “The … Continue reading A Fortunate Alternate
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland, September 4, 2017: What do you do in Kirkwell, Orkney Islands on a wet and windy day? Visit the Orkney Wireless Museum, of course! It is one of those delightfully cluttered and chaotic museums that invite … Continue reading Orkney Wireless Museum
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland, September 4, 2017: According to our Norwegian Sea Captain, Dag, Kirkwall is from the old Norse meaning “Church Harbor.” The town is best known for St. Magnus Cathedral but the town was named for the … Continue reading A Cathedral Sets its Viking Sails
Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland, Sept 3, 2017: As Prinsendam pulled out of Reykjavik the PA chimes alerted us to a message. It started normally for a sail out with the Captain on mic, “This is your disembodied voice from the Bridge, … Continue reading Unexpected Sea Day
If you want to get to Iceland before it’s discovered, too late. While we found the Eastern, Northern and Western fjords of Iceland pleasantly un-trampled Reykjavik, which is a tidy little city, is overrun. While we were in port we … Continue reading Reykjavik
Reykjavik, Iceland, August 31: The “Golden Circle” was an invention of, I am told, Icelandic Airlines. The original low-cost pioneer. It was licensed to fly people to and from Iceland, however the flight from New York to Keflevik would renumber … Continue reading Cold Mist, Hot Mist and the Mother of Parliaments
John Luther Adams, a composer who spent most of his professional life in Alaska, won the Pulitzer prize for his composition “Become Ocean” an orchestral piece performed by the Seattle Symphony. The peace is about the Greenland Ice sheet becoming … Continue reading “Become Ocean”
Aappilattoq, Greenland, August 29, 2017: Aappilattoq is a village at the entrance to Prins Christian Sund. Prinsendam called at a few days ago to deliver pizza. Today we returned. The Captain had arranged for a limited shore visit. He set … Continue reading An Accidental Cruise Port