Ravenheart
The Lewis Chessmen may be the perfect icon for this portion of our voyage. The Chessmen were discovered on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. They were carved from walrus ivory from Greenland, probably transited through … Continue reading Ravenheart
Hardanger Fjord
Eidfjord sits at the end of Hardangerfjord, a deep (more than 2800 feet) and long (111 miles) fjord extending inland from the Norwegian sea. At the head of the fjord is the Hardanger plateau and the Hardangervidda National Park. The … Continue reading Hardanger Fjord
Reformation and Art, St. Giles Cathedral
St. Giles Cathedral, the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is ironic in several ways. First off, I find the idea of a Presbyterian Cathedral, Presbyterians have no bishops, to be almost oxymoronic. But what I really find funny is the stained … Continue reading Reformation and Art, St. Giles Cathedral
Auld Reekie
I had never been to Edinburgh on a nice day. Every time I’ve been here the skies were gray, or it was raining. The gray skies, the brownstone buildings, and the Sir Walter Scott Monument, a gothic tower blackened by … Continue reading Auld Reekie
Firth of Forth
First, “Firth of Forth” is not easy to type. Autocorrect helpfully suggests “first of four.” Firth is only sort of an English word, mostly Scottish, deriving from the Norse. It has the same root as “fjord.” The Firth of Forth … Continue reading Firth of Forth
Sea Day Catch Up.
While I mostly write about ports and port experiences, on this sea day I write about some of the social events on the ship. Today we have our third block party, where we all go into the hallway, the staff … Continue reading Sea Day Catch Up.
Freedom in Haarlem!
May 4th and 5th are big days in The Netherlands. On May 5, three days before VE Day, the end of the Second World War in Europe, the German commander in the Netherlands signed an instrument of surrender with the … Continue reading Freedom in Haarlem!
St. Nicholas Church, Ghent
Ghent has three large churches almost in a row. Each one of them is grand enough to be a cathedral, but two are parish churches that look like cathedrals. Gothic Ghent had the mega church figured out before the U.S. … Continue reading St. Nicholas Church, Ghent
Ghent
The Holland America tour of Ghent may have been the best organized ship tour I have been on. On each bus seat we found a map of Ghent and a card with an emergency number to call in case we … Continue reading Ghent
Ship Day, Shore Day, Cherbourg
In an earlier post I talked about “ship days.” Days that we are in a port but choose not to go ashore. This last couple of weeks has been intensive. As I write this leaving the Netherlands we have had … Continue reading Ship Day, Shore Day, Cherbourg
Celtic France, Brest
Asterix and Obelix are French comic book characters, Celts, who resisted Caesar’s conquest of Gaul. When I was reading these comics to my kids, I assumed that the Celts in Brittany, a peninsula at the western edge of France, were … Continue reading Celtic France, Brest
A Beautiful Way to Catch a Train, Porto
Perhaps the rain was an omen. The weather on this cruise has been great but Wednesday we had overcast skies and rain, sometimes heavy. The ship docked at Leixeos, the port for Porto. Holland America ran a shuttle to Natosinhos, … Continue reading A Beautiful Way to Catch a Train, Porto
Lights Out! Lisbon
I was in the crosswalk at about 11:40 Monday morning. The green signal told me I could cross. Then the light went out, it didn’t turn red, it went out. Immediately a car pulled in front of me. He lost … Continue reading Lights Out! Lisbon
Azulejo, Portuguese Tiles.
Everywhere you look in Portugal (and frequently in Brazil and Cape Verde) you find Azulejo, painted ceramic tiles. Azujelo is from the Arabic Al-zullij, “polished stone.” Our guide on our Lisbon tuk tuk, tour, Maurice, told us they were developed … Continue reading Azulejo, Portuguese Tiles.
Manueline Architecture in Lisbon
At the Barcelona Meetup I had a conversation with Jo Johnston, (Writer on Deck). We discussed the timing of the publication of our blogs. On this trip she published two in one day and decided not to do that again. … Continue reading Manueline Architecture in Lisbon
Volendam and Volendam
We are now sailing in Europe and are approaching our stop at Ijmuiden in the Netherlands. One of the tours Holland America is offering is a visit to the towns of Volendam and Marken. I have been holding this post … Continue reading Volendam and Volendam
Sunday in Cadiz
Sometimes the best days just happen. We had nothing planned for Cadiz, just step off the ship and wander. We loved what we saw from our balcony as we docked and wanted to see it up close. It was Sunday, … Continue reading Sunday in Cadiz
Grand Meetup.
On each world cruise Holland America plans something special. This year it was the “Grand Meetup.” Both Holland ships, Volendam and Zuiderdam, on Grand Voyages met in Barcelona for two days of parties and activities. Holland claims it is the … Continue reading Grand Meetup.
Rambling the Rambla, Barcelona
We had two days in Barcelona, but we didn’t spend much time in the city. The two Holland America ships, our Volendam and the Zuiderdam were berthed stern to stern where Holland America staged something called the Grand Reunion. I … Continue reading Rambling the Rambla, Barcelona
The Rock, Gibraltar
Gibraltar is one of the Pillars of Hercules, one of two (or three, people can’t decide which mountain on the African side is the second pillar) that guard the entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. Britain holds one, Gibraltar … Continue reading The Rock, Gibraltar
What Rick Would Not Have Seen
In the last post I talked about what Rick, Ilse and Victor would have seen if they had really been in Casablanca in 1941. This post is about what they would not have seen and what might surprise them today. … Continue reading What Rick Would Not Have Seen
As Time Goes By
What Rick might have really seen in Casablanca. Movie night on Volendam, Casablanca. I have seen it so many times that I “sang along,” quietly, with some of the greatest lines. The film was set in November 1941 and shaped … Continue reading As Time Goes By
Sanitized Souk
The Medina, or old town of Agadir was leveled in the earthquake of 1960. A decade after the quake it was rebuilt, or perhaps reimagined by architect and craftsman Coco Polizzi. His family moved to Rabat, the capital before he … Continue reading Sanitized Souk
Sunday Souk, Berber Market
The Souk in Agadir is huge. Normally it is chaotic, loud and bustling. But we arrived on Sunday morning. Easter Sunday to boot. So it was quiet. Not as atmospheric as it would be later in the day, but there … Continue reading Sunday Souk, Berber Market