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Postcards from the Transition

Postcards from the Transition.

  • Topics
    • Winds of Change
      • Winds of Change, Africa
      • The Fall of the Wall
      • Velvet Revolution
      • Arab Spring
      • Balkan Turmoil
      • 9/11
      • Soviet Union
    • Christmas Markets
    • Lent and Easter
    • Holy Land
    • Pillars of Hercules
    • Architecture
      • Boardwalk Towns
      • Bridges
      • Castles
      • Religious
    • Transportation
      • Trains
      • Ferries
  • Europe
    • Balkans
      • Albania
      • Bosnia and Herzegovina
      • Bulgaria
      • Croatia
      • Kosovo
      • Macedonia
      • Montenegro
      • Serbia
      • Turkey
    • Central Europe
      • Czech Republic
      • Hungary
      • Poland
      • Slovakia
    • Southern Europe
      • Gibraltar
      • Malta
      • Spain
    • Northern Europe
      • United Kingdom
      • Iceland and Faroes
      • Isle of Man
      • Baltic States
    • Western Europe
      • Belgium
      • Germany
      • Netherlands
  • Africa
    • Kenya
    • South Sudan
    • Tanzania
  • Caucasus
    • Armenia
    • Azerbaijan
    • Georgia
  • MENA
    • Ceuta (Spain)
    • Egypt
    • Israel
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    • Morocco
    • Oman
    • Qatar
    • Palestine
    • United Arab Emirates
  • N. America
    • Canada
    • Contiguous US
    • Cuba
    • Greenland
  • S. America
  • Alaska
    • Sitka
    • South Central Alaska
    • South East Alaska
  • Cruises
    • Iceland, Greenland & Scotland 2017

Tag: Holland America

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20181 Comment

Good Morning Viet Nam

March 13, 2018March 13, 2018 Rich McClear

As the sun rose through the pollution haze I knew there was something I was supposed to do in Saigon, but I didn’t know what it was.  We had nothing really planned for the day except to take the hour … Continue reading Good Morning Viet Nam

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20182 Comments

Hong Kong Memories

March 11, 2018 Rich McClear

Other cruise mates had specific things they wanted to do in Hong Kong, visit this temple or that particular shopping street.  A surprising number of these, mostly senior citizens, wanted to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland. (All of Hong Kong … Continue reading Hong Kong Memories

Cruises, Ferries, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20181 Comment

Star Ferry — Hong Kong.

March 10, 2018March 10, 2018 Rich McClear

Shanghai is noted for its modern transportation infrastructure, the mag-lev trains and high speed rail.  Hong Kong is noted for its 19th century transportation infrastructure, the Peak Tram, the rattling old double decker trams on Hong Kong Island and the … Continue reading Star Ferry — Hong Kong.

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018Leave a comment

Douglas MacArthur Had Dessert Here – The Manila Hotel

March 9, 2018February 27, 2021 Rich McClear

I love hotels of a certain era.  The ones built by railway and steamship companies as way points in the Orient Express or wharf side outposts of empire.  We’ve stayed in several, usually at a time when it was a … Continue reading Douglas MacArthur Had Dessert Here – The Manila Hotel

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018Leave a comment

Defensive Driver — Manila

March 7, 2018March 7, 2018 Rich McClear

The Captain’s announcement was not encouraging.  “The temperature tomorrow in Manila will be, wait for it, 95 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s 35 degrees Celsius.”  With 88% humidity it was just plain hot.  Suzi does not function well in high heat and … Continue reading Defensive Driver — Manila

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018Leave a comment

A Town Reflecting on Slaughter.

February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 Rich McClear

Albany, Western Australia has monuments dedicated to two slaughters.  You get a hint at the first slaughter when you sail into Princess Royal Harbor through the Ataturk Entrance.  It was named after the Turkish General who pushed back of members … Continue reading A Town Reflecting on Slaughter.

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20182 Comments

Fulfilling Pop’s Dream – Cruising into Hobart.

February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 Rich McClear

To my dad Hobart was a kind of heaven.  He had been on a troop ship, the Washington, for a long time out of San Francisco.  The Japanese had reported sinking her but she zig zagged safely through the North … Continue reading Fulfilling Pop’s Dream – Cruising into Hobart.

Boardwalk Towns, Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018Leave a comment

Working Man’s Beach — Bondi

February 13, 2018 Rich McClear

Bondi Beach is the closest beach to Sydney, only 7 km (5 miles) from the center and on public transport.  It’s a 1.5 KM long crescent of sand between two headlands.  Bondi is an aboriginal word for “water breaking.”  Rebellious … Continue reading Working Man’s Beach — Bondi

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20181 Comment

Taieri Gorge Railroad.

February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 Rich McClear

My main goal in Dunedin was to ride the Taieri Gorge Railroad.  The narrow gauge line was built from Dunedin to the gold fields at Cromwell.  It carried supplies to the gold fields an on the back haul brought agricultural … Continue reading Taieri Gorge Railroad.

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20181 Comment

A Railway Station and its city – Dunedin

February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 Rich McClear

Dunedin (Edinburgh in Gaelic) is a university city.  We arrived on Waitangi Day, New Zealand’s National Day.   The University of Otago would get underway seriously the next day.  It was built as a “little Scotland” by immigrants but it grew … Continue reading A Railway Station and its city – Dunedin

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018Leave a comment

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise – Moorea.

January 25, 2018January 25, 2018 Rich McClear

When we went to bed in Tahiti we expected to wake up anchored in Cook’s Bay, Moorea.  Instead we woke up to a PA announcement telling us that plans had changed and we were not quite anchored in Opunohu Bay.  … Continue reading Surprise, Surprise, Surprise – Moorea.

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20183 Comments

Looking for Bali Hi — in the Marquesas

January 20, 2018January 20, 2018 Rich McClear

The search for earthly paradise is one of the recurring themes of the lectures on Amsterdam.  The Polynesian cultural center representatives and the Astronomy professor have given lectures and held discussions on this topic.  They have reviewed literature, paintings, film … Continue reading Looking for Bali Hi — in the Marquesas

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018Leave a comment

Panama etc.

January 16, 2018January 16, 2018 Rich McClear

“TRAVEL becomes a strategy for accumulating PHOTOGRAPHS.” – Anonymous We get a different saying on a card every evening along with our chocolate on MS Amsterdam.  This is one of them.  And this blog page is a reflection of that … Continue reading Panama etc.

Architecture, Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20183 Comments

Frank Gehry in Panama

January 15, 2018 Rich McClear

During the construction of the Panama Canal more than a century ago scientists were concerned about how the canal would affect the environment.  What would be the impact of damming the Chagres River?  Would building a Canal straight across the … Continue reading Frank Gehry in Panama

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018, Transportation1 Comment

The Second Time Around… The Panama Canal.

January 14, 2018January 15, 2018 Rich McClear

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.

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 2018, Trains1 Comment

Banana Train

January 13, 2018 Rich McClear

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

Cruises, MS Amsterdam Grand World Voyage, 20189 Comments

Building Civil Society on a Cruise Ship

January 7, 2018 Rich McClear

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

Cruises, Iceland and Faroes, Iceland, Greenland & Scotland 2017Leave a comment

Waterfalls, Tunnels and Sustainable Fisheries.

September 2, 2017September 7, 2017 Rich McClear

According to Lonely Planet Isafjordur in the Westfjord country is best known for its folk museum and for a tunnel that has a “T” intersection in the middle.  One part of the T goes to the town of Sudureri and … Continue reading Waterfalls, Tunnels and Sustainable Fisheries.

Cruises, Iceland and Faroes, Iceland, Greenland & Scotland 2017Leave a comment

Where North America and Europe Drift Apart

September 2, 2017September 7, 2017 Rich McClear

We berthed in Akureuri, which styles itself “The Capital of the North.”  Akureuri, Iceland’s second city, sits at the head of the Eyjafjorur, a 60 mile long arm of water reaching into the interior of Iceland from the Arctic Ocean.  … Continue reading Where North America and Europe Drift Apart

Cruises, Iceland and Faroes, Iceland, Greenland & Scotland 2017Leave a comment

Aluminium and Fish, Eskifjordur, Iceland,

September 2, 2017September 7, 2017 Rich McClear

You approach Eskifjordur by sailing down the Reydarfjord until you see a big aluminum smelter.  A small fjord, Eskifjord, branches off to the starboard.  At the end of that small fjord you see some gleaming white fuel tanks.  This is … Continue reading Aluminium and Fish, Eskifjordur, Iceland,

Cruises, Iceland and Faroes, Iceland, Greenland & Scotland 2017Leave a comment

Torshavn, Faroe Islands.

August 30, 2017September 7, 2017 Rich McClear

Torshavn, Faroe Islands,  August 21, 2017:  Holland America assured us that they loved whales but wanted to warn us.  “Holland America expressly disassociates itself from whaling.  We cannot control the cultural of the areas of the world to which we … Continue reading Torshavn, Faroe Islands.

Cruises, Iceland, Greenland & Scotland 2017, Netherlands2 Comments

Rising to Sea Level, the North Sea Canal.

August 19, 2017September 7, 2017 Rich McClear

We are onboard and underway, on our cruise to Iceland and Greenland.  But we weren’t sure that this would happen.  I had complications from surgery the week before we left for Amsterdam and I didn’t get clearance from the docs … Continue reading Rising to Sea Level, the North Sea Canal.

Sitka1 Comment

Will this be the Ship…?

August 26, 2015January 18, 2016 Rich McClear

Today I paused during my walk to watch Holland America’s Westerdam weigh anchor and sail past the mouth of Indian River on its way to Seattle and asked “Will this be the ship that carries me away?” It’s a question … Continue reading Will this be the Ship…?

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