Antarctic Coda
It’s a day at sea after the Falklands and the Captain, the Expedition Leader (A professor from New Zealand), the Ice Pilot (a retired USCG admiral with 16 years’ experience on heavy icebreakers) and the Chief Engineering Officer are giving … Continue reading Antarctic Coda
Antarctic Metropolis and Teflon Rocks
February 3, 2015 King George Island, Antarctica. I was startled when I got an SMS message sailing into Admiralty Bay on King George Island. King George is the largest of the South Shetland Islands off the coast of Antarctica and … Continue reading Antarctic Metropolis and Teflon Rocks
Ice Bergs, History and Politics
February 3, 2015 Antarctic Sound, Antarctica. Dear Friends, Antarctic Sound, at the very northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, is packed with history and ice. The ice is the reason for the history. It’s named for a whaler turned research … Continue reading Ice Bergs, History and Politics
Paradise to a Whaling Captain
February 2, 2008 Andvord Bay, Paradise Harbor and Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctica, During the Alaska summer I get little sleep. I don’t sleep with curtains drawn so generally wake up early and go to bed late. I figure I will make … Continue reading Paradise to a Whaling Captain
…To Teach Them Whales to Dance
February 2, 2008 Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctica I am used to photographing whales, but not this way. I am either in a small boat at sea level or on the second deck of a two deck Allen Marine catamaran. But on … Continue reading …To Teach Them Whales to Dance
Feathered Dolphins.
February 2, 2008 Paradise Harbor, Antarctica. They look like dolphins swimming alongside the boat, but very small dolphins. But looking closely they are penguins, Gentoo Penguins. They move quickly thought the water, up for breath, down to swim. These penguins … Continue reading Feathered Dolphins.
Two Prayers
February 1 Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica At our Unitarian Fellowship Kathy quoted a theologian saying there are three prayers, “Help,” “Thanks,” and “Wow.” There was a lot of praying on the deck of the Prinsendam as we cruised out of Palmer … Continue reading Two Prayers
Railway at the End of the World
January 30, 2015 Ushuaia, Argentina The train at the end of the world started as a convict work train. It’s a narrow gauge railway that used to run from the Prison in Ushuaia into the forests of Tierra del Fuego. … Continue reading Railway at the End of the World
An Earring and an Ear Patch
January 31, 2015 Drake Passage Dear Friends, My respect for the captain grows. He saw the weather in the Drake Passage and decided to hold the ship in Ushuaia for several hours, giving us more time in the city. We … Continue reading An Earring and an Ear Patch
Quick, Before it Melts
January 30, 2015 Beagle Channel, Chile It’s called Glacier Alley with glaciers to the north of the Beagle Channel pouring down from the Tierra del Fuego ice field. Beech trees line the South shore of the channel. It’s pretty spectacular, … Continue reading Quick, Before it Melts
Or is This the End of the World?
January 30, 2015 Ushuaia, Argentina. Here is the second claimant to “end of the world.” Ushuaia is a newer town than Punta Arenas. It was founded in 1870 by missionaries from the Falkland Islands wishing to convert the natives of … Continue reading Or is This the End of the World?
Is This The End of The World?
January 29, 2011 Punta Arenas, Chile Dear Friends, Punta Arenas, Chile and Ushuaia have a rivalry. Both claim to be at the end of the world. Both claim to be the furthest south city in the world. Looking at a … Continue reading Is This The End of The World?
Penguins!
January 29, 2015 Tierra del Fuego Dear Friends, Penguins! What else can I say? Morning came too early after the “night of bells and whistles.” We anchored off Punta Arenas (see separate post) and got on a bus to take … Continue reading Penguins!
Bells and Whistles
January 29, 2015 Sailing the Magellan Straits We were jolted out of bed by the ship’s horn and alarm bells. I turned over in bed and said to Suzi “This can’t be good.” We had just gotten to bed a … Continue reading Bells and Whistles
Germany in Chile
January 27, 2015 Riding it out at sea. Dear Friends, “Sitka is a nice place to live but you wouldn’t want to visit there” is the old aphorism. If you live there you get the advantage of all the beautiful … Continue reading Germany in Chile
Ultimate Survivor
January 24, 2015 Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile Alexander Selkirk started it all. A Scot sailing on a British privateer, he didn’t like the way the ship was being run. He thought it was dangerous and would founder (turns out he … Continue reading Ultimate Survivor
Sea Day!
January 23, 2015 On Board the Prinsendam, My kids say that our family doesn’t take vacations, we go on field trips. I may have slowed down a bit but days ashore are busy. On a cruise ship we have don’t … Continue reading Sea Day!
Up and Down in Valparaiso
January 22, 2015 Sailing out of Valparaiso, Chile, Valparaiso is the port for Santiago, Chile’s capital. The ship offered several tours to the capital and the wine country. In our two port days we never got beyond gritty Valpo and … Continue reading Up and Down in Valparaiso
The Route of the Stars
January 21, 2015 Dear Friends, Oscar, our cab driver, is worried. He doesn’t speak much English and we don’t speak much Spanish, that is one of the things that made the day interesting, trying to retrieve a long lost tongue … Continue reading The Route of the Stars
Eiffel in Peru (or is it Chile).
January 18, 2015 Arica, Chile Before he designed the framework for the Statue of Liberty, before his famous tower and before his infamous design for the locks on the French attempt to dig a Panama Canal (for which he was … Continue reading Eiffel in Peru (or is it Chile).
A Mystery Without a Clue, the Nazca Lines.
January 16, 2015 Nazca, Peru It’s a mystery and no one has a clue. For me it starts and ends with a Candelabrum. When you sail into and out of the port of General St. Martin you can see the … Continue reading A Mystery Without a Clue, the Nazca Lines.
Making Love, Not War in a City Park.
January 15, 2014 Mira Flores, Peru. Dear Friends, Different people pace a cruise in different ways. Some people just get off the ship for a little while to shop at the market near the wharf or take the shuttle Holland … Continue reading Making Love, Not War in a City Park.
San Francisco Monastery and other Lima Pleasures
The text for this post is in the post before. To find it click here. To learn about Mira Flores, a district in Lima, click here. First some pictures from the San Francisco Monastery near Plaza Major Next some general … Continue reading San Francisco Monastery and other Lima Pleasures
Carmina Burana goes to the Bullfights (Lima, Peru)
January 15, 2015 Lima, Peru Lima is a city of Circles and Squares, connected by streets. The oldest squares were laid out by Pizzaro, the central one being the Plaza Mayor, formally the Plaza de Armas. This is a UNESCO … Continue reading Carmina Burana goes to the Bullfights (Lima, Peru)