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August 23, 2025 (Bergen, Norway – Part II)

Welcome to Bergen! Situated on the peninsula of Bergenshalvoyen and surrounded by seven hills and seven mountains, Bergen serves as Norway’s international center for agriculture, shipping, subsea technology and its offshore petroleum industry. It is also Norway’s national center for higher education, media, tourism and finance.

Following our tour of the farm we had some time to explore on our own. As we were leaving the ship members of the crew kept telling us to be sure we got a hot dog while we were out. “Hot dog?” we thought, “What’s so special about a hot dog?” We would soon find out – but more on that later!

Our first discovery as we headed into the town center was the Bergenhus Fortress.

The fortress itself dates back to the 1240s. During Medieval times, when Bergen was the capital of Norway, it served as the site of the royal residences, as well as the Cathedral and multiple church buildings. It also contained a Dominican Monastery at one point. Many coronations and royal weddings were held here in the 12th and 13th centuries, before the capital of Norway was moved to Oslo in 1299. In 1526 and 1531 the church buildings were destroyed, and the grounds began being used solely for military purposes. During WWII the Germans used the fortress as their western headquarters, and there is a reinforced bunker in the center of the property built by Soviet prisoners of war.

Today the fortress is under the command of the Royal Norwegian Navy and approximately 150 military and civilian employees show up here to work every day. Most of the grounds are open to the public, and the fortress is frequently used for cultural celebrations, theater performances and rock concerts. There was a rock concert happening while we were here. Haakon’s Hall and Rosenkranz Tower are also open for tours. It’s fairly easy to see these buildings as meeting locations or places of official business, but it doesn’t seem a very warm and welcoming environment to live in!

Just past the Fortress is Bryggen, a series of reconstructed Hanseatic commercial buildings that pay homage to Bergen’s historical significance in Northern European trade and reflects the influence of the Hanseatic League in that role. The Hanseatic League originated in 12th Century Germany and began as a partnership between German towns and their merchant communities to protect the merchants’ trade interests. During the 13th – 15th Centuries the League established a trade monopoly along the coast between the Baltic and North Seas and expanded its reach to become a dominate defensive network of merchant gilds and market towns that essentially ruled maritime trade all along the route. As a major trade hub Bergen was home to a large community of German tradesmen and a central location for the League. Today these buildings house restaurants and shops and are a major destination not only for tourists but for locals, too

Now about those hot dogs…Apparently hot dogs are Norway’s national snack. They were introduced to Norway in the 1950s, following the end of WWII. Norwegians were so appreciative of America’s help during and after the war that anything American became immediately fashionable. Hot dogs quickly became a central part of Norwegian culinary culture. They play a major role in birthday celebrations and hiking trips and are the star attraction during May 17 events (Norway’s 4th of July). Norwegians take their hot dogs so seriously that the Norwegian 7-Eleven provides its employees special training on how to prepare and serve the perfect dog. But a Norwegian hot dog is not an American hot dog. These puppies are HUGE!!! Norwegian hot dogs may be served on Lefse instead of the traditional bun we are used to, and while toppings may include the usual ketchup, mustard and onions, in Norway toppings also include potato or shrimp salad. And you can get your hot dog in reindeer, lamb, crocodile or ostrich meat. Variety is the spice of life! We didn’t have one ourselves, but we certainly saw lots of folks standing in line to get theirs.

Just down the street from the hot dog stand we found another American icon…much classier looking than their American counterparts.

We continued wandering around town until it was time to join our afternoon tour.

Our official tour began at Nykirken, or The New Church, so named because when it was built in 1621 it was the newest of the town’s parish churches. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway. It has a bit of both a tortured and a storied past. The church has been completely burned down and rebuilt no fewer than five times, the last in 1944 during WWII as collateral damage to a fire that started with a ship exploding in the harborI. On the “storied” side, the church served as a polling station in 1814 during Norway’s first national election when the assembly that would write Norway’s constitution was elected.

The church is informally known as “The Children’s Church,” a reflection of its focus begun by a former Bishop. This focus is demonstrated in the interior of the church which is decorated with children’s artwork . The artwork shows how the children experience God.

The church is also home to a large gold baptismal angel that can be lowered for use in baptisms and raised for admiration when not in use. It was donated to the church in 1794 and designed by the same artist who created the form of the woman who adorns many a sailing ship. The angel holds a baptism bowl in her hand for use in baptizing infants and was originally raised and lowered using a pully system. Today she is lowered and raised electronically.

What serves as the church’s basement is actually part of the ruins of an old arch diocese more than 700 years old. The basement is separate from the church and is where the palace of the diocese was located. Today it’s more than just a storage area; local theaters use it for plays and this is where the church’s Christmas market is held every year.

Here’s a fun story: In the year 1640 three boys set fire to the city. The jail was damaged in the fire and could not be used to hold the boys, so local law enforcement put them in this basement to serve their time. As if the surroundings weren’t bad enough on their own, at the time this basement also served as a burial ground. So even while the boys were in here dead bodies were being lowered down to keep them company. Talk about a deterrent to committing crime!

As we drove through the city our guide shared Bergen’s history as a trade center and talked of the various annual festivals and celebrations enjoyed in the city center. She also shared that Bergen and Seattle are sister cities – who knew?! They seem to be a perfect match – Bergen gets rain 259 days/year. Their city motto is, “No bad weather, just bad clothes!”

When we reached the National Stage, we got out and finished the tour on foot.

The National Stage is one of four national institutes of performing arts. The Norwegian theater was established in 1850 by famous Norwegian violinist Ole Bull. The theater was built in 1909 and today is home to approximately 40 actors who perform 20-25 plays a year. The theater houses its own metal shop, dressmaker shop, props department, carpentry shop, paint shop and papering shop. It has served as a crucial platform for the development of Norwegian playwrights, actors and directors.

Just down the street from the theater is a monument to Mr. Bull. Our guide referred to him as the Elvis of his time. The figure at Mr. Bull’s feet playing the harp is the Norwegian mythical water spirit, Nokken. Nokken is said to have the ability to shape shift and often appears as a handsome young man playing beautiful music on a harp or violin or flute to lure unsuspecting victims into the water so he can drown them (so cheery, right?). The myth is intended as a cautionary tale regarding the dangers of the many lakes and streams and fjords in Norway. Some say Ole Bull was really Nokken because no human could possibly make music as beautiful as that Ole Bull played. Pam loved that the statue is built in such a way as to invite little kids to engage with it, climbing all over the rocks that surround it.

We end our tour at Byparken, Bergen’s oldest public park, where we find a beautiful gazebo surrounded by a gorgeous display of color. Each year the planting of the flowers is timed so that they will be in optimum bloom on May 17 for all of the Independence Day festivities.

The park is on the banks of a small lake, and is overlooked by the beautiful Museum of Art.

This concludes our tour of Bergen. We walk back to the ship, past the Hanseatic buildings and all of their beautiful shops, past the Bergenhus Fortress with the music of its rock concert blaring in the background, past the ships and the boats in the harbor, Bergen’s seven hills and seven mountains to our backs. Soon we’ll enjoy our last dinner on the ship, place our bags outside our cabin door and prepare to bid farewell to our Arctic journey. It’s been a wonderful twenty-eight days, and we’re ready to go home.

August 23, 2025 (Bergen, Norway – Part I)

There is much to explore within the city of Bergen – history, architecture, art, shopping, FOOD! – but we’ll be saving that for later in the day. And because there is so much to explore, we’re breaking today’s post into two parts, beginning with the a.m. activities.

Our morning was spent on a wonderful little farm located about five minutes outside of town. Those of you who read Ken’s post from 2022 will know that he’s been here before, and he was very excited to share the experience with Pam. It didn’t take her long to understand why.

Originally established in the late 1500s, Ovre-Eide Gard Farm’s colorful past includes serving as the seat of a Danish King, having been property of the Church of Denmark, and being abandoned for several years in the aftermath of the Black Plague before finding what may be its forever home in the Ovre-Eide Gard family in 1875 when two brothers went together to buy the property. Its agricultural history began in 1565, and there is evidence to suggest its cellar may have been used as a dungeon once upon a time where a notorious Norwegian thief was imprisoned.

When Arild Nydegger Ovre-Eide Gard inherited the farm in 1989 he was a professional pastry chef who knew absolutely nothing about farming. At the age of sixteen or seventeen his father had given him the choice of becoming the fifth generation of the family to own and run the farm or sell it and follow his own path. He ultimately elected to keep the farm in the family, and although it was a fully operating farm at the time he took over its operations, none of the buildings were in use and the main house where we would later enjoy a small snack of traditional Norwegian treats and a visit by
Arild himself was literally falling apart.

In the beginning it was all Arild could do to keep the farm running. He continued his life as a pastry chef and recruited friends and family to help on the farm. One year they held a Christmas party for everyone who was helping and their families. As they sat around the unheated barn with its makeshift decorations enjoying Arild’s pastries and surrounded by the sheep and horses someone suggested others might enjoy having a similar experience. One of the young girls who had been helping at the farm asked to have her confirmation there, which spurred the group to begin renovations. Soon they began opening the farm up to the local schools for visits. As renovations progressed, they began hosting weddings and other special events. Their tourism begam in 2000, and today they host a multitude of cruise ship visitors, offer riding trips through the surrounding mountains, and continue serving as a venue for weddings and other special events.

The farm sits on the banks of Lake Dahl, which provides two-thirds of the drinking water for all of Bergen. They currently have six horses, fifteen sheep and one ram and usually welcome 25-30 lambs in the spring. Ovre-Eider relies solely on traditional farming methods, including using only horses to spread the manure around the farm.

After touring the grounds, we entered the main house, built in the 1500s, for delicious pastries, which of course included the famous Lefse.

We were serenaded by Linda, the woman who had been serving as our tour guide and is also an accomplished performer and chef in her own right. Arild played a traditional Norwegian song for us on the piano and spoke of both the history of the farm and Norwegian traditions. There are approximately 5.5 million residents of Norway and Arild joked there are approximately 1.2 million national costumes, or bunads. Norwegians generally choose a national costume around the age of 14 or 15. A bunad is a symbol of Norwegian cultural heritage and identity and is usually chosen based on personal preference, family history or a connection to a particular geographic area of Norway. The costumes cost $5-6,000 so you usually choose only one. They are designed to be let out so they can grow with a person as they age and are worn an all significant holidays or special events. The color of a girl’s stockings signify whether she is single (red) or married (black).

Arild is a soft-spoken man who ended his remarks with a beautiful speech about the need to protect democracy and the importance of allies. He reflected on his father’s experience as a farmer during WWII, when Nazi soldiers entered Norway and demanded all of the landowners sign a pledge of loyalty to the Nazi party. Arild’s father refused and spent four years as a prisoner of war, an experience he refused to talk about. Arild spoke of the Battle of Narvik, something Pam talked about in her August 19th post about the Arctic Train, and the vital role the country’s allies played in securing a free and democratic future for Norway. Without throwing shade, naming names, or lecturing Arild quietly made the case for the part individuals, not world leaders, play in protecting democracy and fostering international relationships that remind us there is so much more that unites us as human beings than divides us. It was an emotional end to a memorable visit.

Our last day of the cruise was spent in Bergen, Norway. Pam had never been before, but Ken was here in 2022 when, as we mentioned in an earlier post for this cruise, Pam had to leave for a family matter. Here’s what Ken had to say about that visit…

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of 280,000. It is also one of the wettest cities in Norway. It rains 240-250 days a year, wow. It was overcast with occasional drizzle during most of our stay, very much like Seattle. Like the northwest no one allows the weather to dictate your day, as we saw wonderful sites and met great people.

We also visited a local farm near Bergen. We were taken to a farm less than 15 minutes from Bergen. We were met at the farm by the owner and his local hand maidens. They were extremely gracious, courteous and welcoming. They showed us their horses and beautiful scenery. We watched as the sheep came galloping from the field to the house as fast as they could when they noticed the ladies with buckets of food. After a walk around the farm they took us into their home and fed us desserts, coffee and a very special treat, lefse. You may wonder what in the world is lefse. Lefse is a special Norwegian flat bread made from potatoes. My grandparents came from Norway and we used to have this treat all the time when we visited them. It is delicious after you butter it, sprinkle sugar and cinnamon, then roll it up like a crepe.

August 22, 2025 (Geiranger, Norway)

The Geirangerfjord in western Norway is home to some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve ever seen – not just on this cruise, but ever – and snuggled into that scenery at the head of the fjord is breathtakingly beautiful Geirganger, Norway. Named Best Travel Destination of Scandinavia multiple times by travel guide and content creator Lonely Planet, this little down of 250 full-time residents plays host to an average of 700,000 – 1 million visitors every year. And today we are lucky enough to be among them.

We began our day with a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) ride. First, we had to get suited up, including goggles to protect our eyes against the wind and water spray. Ken was not particularly excited about being on the water going 25-30 mph in an open-air boat in 30-degree weather, but off he went, sitting in the front seat no less, looking for the best photo ops. Pam’s there, too, way back in the very last seat.

Even our captain/guide thought it was cold out!

We were originally scheduled to anchor at the sea walk, a retractable floating sidewalk that rests on 10 wave-damping pontoons and can accommodate up to 4,000 passengers at a time making their way from the ship to shore, but at the last minute the port authority notified our captain that they were short on pilot boats to accompany our ship in, and he would need to anchor off-port and have us tender in. Not a big deal, but because they hadn’t planned on it, it put everyone about thirty minutes behind for tours.

We don’t know if this is why our RIB trip was so rushed, if it was the cold, or if it’s always like this, but there were very few stops or slowdowns for picture taking. Ken was able to get enough to give you an idea of the splendor and help us remember in days to come.

The guide pointed out a couple of farms high on the mountains, originally built in the 1600s and now abandoned. It was difficult to get pictures from the boat, and some were invisible because of the low cloud coverage, but hopefully you’ll get the idea from a picture Pam took on the way in. At the time the farms were built, out guide told us, there were over 2,000 Vikings living in the area and farmable land was becoming scarce. People started building farms on just about any piece of flat land they could find. To access the farms, one had to boat to the bottom of the cliff on which they were built, hike most of the way to the farm, and then climb a rope ladder to the actual homestead. How they were able to get supplies up there doing that we have no idea.

We had a little time between excursions, so we took a moment to enjoy a nice hot cappuccino and cinnamon roll before exploring a bit.

Ken finally found his polar bear, and we discovered Troll Cars.

Soon it was time for our panoramic tour of Geiranger. We boarded our full-size bus and began our journey along Eagles’ Road to our first viewpoint, a steep three-mile climb involving eleven hairpin turns, and the only road in the area that remains open during the winter months. We took this picture of the road from the RIB, not knowing we would be driving it later in the day.

It was a pretty tight fit when you had two full-size buses passing one another.

We were so lucky that when we got to the view point the fog lifted long enough for us to enjoy some fantastic views.

From here we made our way to the opposite side of town, to Flydalsjuvet Viewpoint. We began at the upper viewpoint…

Then made our way to the lower viewpoint…

From here it was on to Djupvasshytta Lake, where we had an opportunity to grab a snack in the hotel restaurant. Along the way we continued to pass picturesque waterfalls and a summer farm. The summer farm is long-since abandoned, but once upon a time it was where the women brought the children and goats during summer months. They would spend the entire summer up here collecting milk from the goats and making cheese that they would send back down to the village with the men, who came up once a week, for storage or trade.

The Djupvasshytta Hotel was originally built to house the workers who built the road we drove to get here. The portion of Route 63, or Geiranger Road as it is also known, we are traveling now was finished in 1889. It took as many as 300 men working eight summers to complete this stretch of road. With twenty-nine hairpin turns and grades as steep as ten percent in some places it’s no wonder it is closed during winter months. Completion of the road allowed for overland transport between the valleys of east Norway and the fjords of Sunnmore. The road was awarded a gold medal at the Paris World Fair in 1900.

Pam was able to find a picture of the original hotel, so here it is then and now.

The hotel was updated in 2011, but there are still no TVs, no internet, no in-room phones. The hotel website boasts that it is located 1030 meters above sea level – not quite 3400 feet. Coming from the PacNW, where we are used to the likes of Mount St. Helens (8,363 feet), Mount Baker (10,781 feet) and Mount Rainer (14,400 feet) this seems almost laughable, but when you’re within 300 miles of the Arctic Circle you get extra points for the weather conditions we normally think of as being reserved for those higher altitudes!

Ken got some great pictures of Lake Djupvatnet. There was a snow-rain mix falling when we arrived, and as we lingered it became a light snowfall. Ken got a cool picture of a couple enjoying the wonderland conditions on their walk around the 6,000 feet deep lake. It freezes over in the wintertime, but since you can’t get to it no one really knows if it freezes solid enough to be skated on or walked across.

We said good-bye to the mountain and made our way back to town, following those hairpin turns and holding our breath all the way. Over time the road has been widened for cars, but not so much for these full-size buses!

As has happened all along the way, the weather cleared as we began to make our way out of Geirangerfjord and toward Bergen. It was a beautiful exit.

We saw more of those mountaintop farms – these still in operation.

And this beautiful rainbow was like Geiranger thanking us for our visit as she waved goodbye…

In June 2022 We began a Viking Cruise similar to the one we are doing today with our friends Keith and Kathy Snider. Unfortunately, a family emergency led Pam to the leave the cruise early and Ken continued on without her (for a bit; he would soon join her in Ohio). One of the places Ken visited after Pam left was Lofoten. Here is his post from that visit in July 2022. Doesn’t look like the weather was much better then! 😂

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Lofoten is the name of the island meaning flat land and the city is called Leknes. There are 300 islands around this community and only 5 are inhabited. Lofoten (Leknes) is an island city that sits in a very green valley surrounded by high mountains. Fishing is the number one industry for the 25,000+ inhabitants of these islands followed by tourism with about 500,000 visitors annually. 
Here is a bit of history for you. Vikings never had horns on their helmets. This folklore was created by a German playwright in the 1800’s who wanted the Vikings in his play to look like barbarians, so he added horns to the helmets. Amazing how art and folklore can distort history. 
The scenery you’ll see is very green, lush and mountainous. There a a few farms and most raise either cattle or sheep.

The second half of the day was spent visiting the largest and oldest Viking longhouse ever discovered in Norway dating back to 450 A.D. It was just over 60 meters long with 4 large rooms each varying in size. One room was a “drying/aging” room for meets and other foods, then a very large dining/cooking area with a huge fire pit with hanging pots and the like, followed by living area and then sleeping quarters. It is believed this was the house of a chieftain for his family and invited guests. They believe they lived and explored here for centuries until Norway became a kingdom around 872 A.D. At which point the chieftain picked up and moved to Iceland.

August 20, 2025

Today we are in Leknes, the trading and shopping center of Lofoten, an archipelago in Northern Norway known for its towering mountains, deep fjords and picturesque fishing villages. This is not the Lofoten we saw.

We were met with typical August weather for the area, cloudy skies and a near-constant rain. It was like being back in Seattle! 😊

Our excursion included a one-hour bus ride through the countryside followed by a 90-minute catamaran ride through the Reinefjord. Our guide explained that we would be on three of the eight inhabited islands of Lofoten. Lofoten’s total population of about 25,000 is distributed among these eight islands, the largest number of whom reside in Leknes. We drove through a farming/fishing area, surrounded by beautiful soaring mountains. The church in the picture below was built in 1780 and is the only church on the island.

Soon we entered the tunnel that would take us from our first island to the second. Located 220 feet below sea level the tunnel is a little more than a mile long and very narrow. It’s a good thing the buses do not have any side mirrors. Instead, they have cameras mounted on inside either side of the giant windshield that serve the same purpose as the mirrors. In preparation for a construction project that will widen the tunnel it is currently closed between 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., creating more than a little inconvenience for the townspeople who have no other way to get between the islands late at night.

Soon after leaving the tunnel, we encountered what was once a typical Scandanavian style of roof – a turf or sod roof. To create a sod roof, several layers of birch bard are placed on gently sloping roof boards. The bark is covered with sod, the weight of which helps to compress the layers of bark. It’s a bit of a misnomer to call it a sod roof, because the active water-tight element of the roof is actually the birch bark. The sod helps to insulate the home, but the bark is what keeps you dry. Despite advancements in building techniques many people still prefer sod roofs because of their low cost and efficiency. The one down side to a sod roof is that it does need to be mowed every now and again. Some people actually do take a lawn mower up on the roof, but others, as seen in the photo below, will take a few goats or sheep up on the roof, leave them there for a week or two to get the job done, and then bring them back down.

We also passed lots and lots of drying racks. Fishing is an important industry here, and another hold-over from days gone by is preserving fish through drying it. During the months between February and May the fish are caught, their heads are cut off for sale to Nigeria, and then a portion of the fish are hung on these racks to dry. They are taken down before dry weather and its bugs arrive.

Dried fish can be beaten with a hammer, broken into smaller pieces and eaten as-is. This is very popular with hikers or long-distance bike riders. Pam tried a sample the day we did our e-bike ride and did not like it. It tastes very…fishy. Go figure!

The fish can also be rehydrated and prepared just like you would a piece of fresh fish. It takes about a week to rehydrate, and can be done using water, milk, or a marinade. A dried fish marinade recipe you might have heard of is lutefisk. Did you know this traditional Christmas dish is made using actual LYE??? And it looks so harmless!

Someone asked how long the dried fish lasts. Our guide recounted a newspaper article about someone who’d found a 50-year-old piece of dried fish, ate it, and lived to tell the tale.

We needed to cross a bridge to get to our next island. These narrow, one-lane structures are the only place you will find a stop light in all of Lofoten. You can see the stoplight on our side as we wait our turn, and a light at the opposite end as people on the other side wait for us to cross. Our guide told us that they usually get about five feet of snow over the winter here, but in 2017 they got seven feet of snow in just 24 hours. This led to an avalanche which caused the main road and this bridge to be closed for three days. Babies were born at home kids were sledding on the rooftop, no one could get anywhere. Because of this they are planning to replace the bridge with a tunnel.

We continued our scenic drive until we reached the port where our catamaran was waiting to take us back to the ship.

It was not a day conducive to getting great pictures from the catamaran, but Ken braved the elements and got the best shots he could.

All in all Pam thinks he did pretty good!

August 19, 2025 (Narvik, Norway)

Linked by rail to Sweden but not to any other town in Norway, Narvik might have gone completely unnoticed by the rest of the world were it not for its large ports that remain ice-free throughout the year. Prior to 1882 Narvik was a quiet little farming and fishing village with very few inhabitants. The railway boom that began in the 1870s would changed that.

Iron ore was discovered in Sweden in the 1700s, but there was no easy way to export it. Not only are the mines surrounded by rugged mountain terrain, but all of the nearby ports freeze over in winter, making it difficult to move the ore from Sweden to potential buyers.

They originally used reindeer and boats, but the railway boom created a demand for Sweden’s iron ore that necessitated a better solution. Narvik’s proximity to the mines and ice-free waters offered the perfect answer (Norway and Sweden were a united kingdom at the time), but they needed a way to get the ore from the mines to the port. The British were experiencing “railway mania” and offered to finance the building of a railway between the two.

Creating the railway here was no easy task. There were no roads in the steep rocky cliffs, and no helicopters to fly supplies in. Initially they hired local farmers and their wagons and mules to get equipment and supplies up the mountain, but eventually a cable car system was built. It is estimated that more than 10,000 tons of goods were delivered this way. Pam tried to find a picture, and this was the best she could do.

Severe winds, freezing temperatures, winter storms and weeks of total darkness did not make the building of this railway any easier. But by 1902, five thousand skilled laborers had laid the tracks and built the tunnels, bridges and steep inclines needed. The tracks were open for business and Narvik was officially recognized as a town. The tracks were electrified in 1923.

Today this single 26-mile track is used to transport twelve daily freight trains carrying 70,000 tons of iron ore (enough to build 68,000 cars), multiple container trains – 90% of Narvik’s grocery supplies come to Narvik from Sweden via this railway – and several passenger trains EVERY DAY. A replica of the first engine to make the journey sits next to the tracks at the train station.

We are boarding this historic train strictly for sight-seeing purposes. Our 2-1/2 hour journey will take us through beautiful scenery and multiple tunnels that will challenge Ken’s ability to snap the perfect shot before the next tree or tunnel takes it away. The weather was less than perfect, but we were happy that it wasn’t pouring rain, and cooperated enough for us to be able to capture some of the splendor we witnessed.

The suspension bridge in the photo above is the second-longest suspension bridge in Norway. It lies above the Arctic Circle and was the longest suspension bridge within the Arctic Circle at the time of its construction in 2018 (how can you be both “above” and “within” at the same time? You’ll have to ask Wikipedia – its above Pam’s pay grade). Viewing the rocks in the last two pictures you can see why this is referred to as the “ice-blue” fjord of Narvik.

The Ofoten Line takes us over seven bridges and through 23 tunnels. When you consider we are only going a distance of 26 miles you can begin to appreciate the photo op challenges Ken faced. At the time the railway was built, Finland had only recently been made part of Russia. The railway was within 80 miles of the Norway/Finland border, and there was concern that Russia might try to invade Norway. To prevent them from using the railway to do so, they designed the bridge that would have enabled that to be blown up. The bridge was fabricated in Germany; its pier parts transported by horse-drawn carriage included explosive chambers. Railway employees living in the houses by the tracks were actually guards positioned to blow the bridge at any sign of invasion by the Russians.

Our ride took us to the very end of the Ofotfjord and beyond. The water of fjord is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea and reaches depths of more than 360 feet. Within its depths lie the remains of at least 10 German warships, all sunk during the Battle of Narvik. If you look closely at that last photo, you can see the remains of one washed up on shore. WWII brought increased attention to Sweden’s iron ore – needed for making all things military – and Narvik’s ice-free port. Deeply coveted by both sides, the Germans took advantage of the distraction caused by Hitler’s impending nvasion of France to make its move. Ironically, the bridge built by Germans to keep out the Russians now became critical in keeping out the Germans. Unfortunately, between the amount of ice encasing its supports and the lack of explosives used, the bridge was damaged but not destroyed. Allied forces quickly responded. The Battle for Narvik lasted 62 days and cost 8,500 lives. Initially the Allied forces prevailed, but when they left Norway just a few weeks later the Germans seized control. They would retain it for the next five years, until the war ended.

We made two stops along the way. Our first was at Rombak Station’s; the second was Katterat, which has become a popular stop for skiers during winter months. Its surrounding hills are covered in the subtle colors of these beautiful flowers.

The return trip was as beautiful as the trip going out.

August 18, 2025 (Tromso, Norway)

With a population of nearly 80,000 Tromso is the first “proper” city we’ve visited since we left New York. Its many artistic and musical offerings have earned it the nickname Paris of the North, and its world-class university may explain part of its cultural diversity. The city boasts a population of more than one hundred different nationalities. There are perhaps two things Tromso is most famous for: 1) it is one of the best places to view the Northern Lights; and 2) it is home to the Tromsdalen Church, also known as the Arctic Cathedral. The Northern Lights are best seen in the winter months, and even then, our guide tells us they are only visible for 5-7 nights a month, and only on a really clear night. Hmm…how did they get this reputation then?

We are, however, here at a fine time to see the Arctic Cathedral. It may be wet and rainy today, but Ken was also here with our friends Keith and Kathy back in July of 2022 when the skies were clear and blue, so we’ll share some pictures from both visits.

There’s a bit of controversy regarding the mosaic behind us. It was not part of the church when it was built in 1965. According to Ken’s guide from 2022, the church was originally built with all clear glass, which led to some pretty bright services with the church facing west and the sun streaming in from the east. Parishioners took to wearing sunglasses as they listened to the Lutheran pastors deliver their Sunday sermons. It was decided a mosaic would be created to replace the original clear glass, but no one consulted the original architect. He was so incensed he never set foot n the church again. Pam wondered what all the fuss was about. She went in search of before and after photos and discovered that although there are lots of “after” photos there are precious few “before.” She found only one.

Personally, we think it’s a huge improvement. And if you understand the graphics of the mosaic, you may like it even more. At the very top of the stained glass is the hand of God. Three rays eminate from his fingertips – one through Jesus, the main form in the glass, on through a man and one through a woman. Maybe the architect was just made he didn’t think of this himself.

Locals are quick to point out that this church is not a cathedral. The real cathedral is located downtown.

Tromsdalen earned its nickname because of its architecture. Built from eleven aluminum coated concrete panels on each side it is intended to illicit thoughts of shards of ice or an actual iceberg. It can be seen from any point along the waterfront, or from the surrounding mountains. Ken took this photo when he was here in 2022.

After our visit to the church, we took a wet walk around town to check out other interesting sights we’d spotted on the bus. First up this interesting dominos-falling-down structure.

This is Polaria, the world’s northernmost aquarium. We’re telling ya, these people and their “most northerly” thing! We did not go through it, but its focus is the exotic and freezing waters of the Nordic North, and like the church, its design was inspired by the environment it is meant to honor. Visitors may see falling dominos; locals know a massive ice flow when they see it. They recognize in the design the way the ice flows push up against one another, breaking and stacking into a slanted fringe along the way.

Next to Polaria is the MS Polstjern (The Pole Star), a sealing vessel built in 1949. It sailed for 33 hunting seasons and brought home more than97,000 seals. It was also used in several polar expeditions. The museum was closed when we were there, and the area is under construction, so it was hard for Ken to get a good picture. Pam borrowed the one above from the internet to give you a better idea of what it looks like. The entire interior fittings above and below deck are original. The boat is preserved as a monument to the important tradition of Arctic hunting in the history of Tromso.

We finished our walk with a stroll through the pedestrian shopping area of the town, then headed back to the ship for some dry clothes and adult beverages!

Along the way we were reminded it takes both rain and sunshine to make rainbows!

August 17, 2025 (Honningsvag, Norway)

Welcome to Honningsvag, our second favorite stop in this Artic journey. We were here once before, in July 2022, and visited the North Cape, the farthest point north on the European continent. You can click on this link https://jodockworldtravel.com/2022/07/04/honningsvag-nordkapp-norway/ to learn more about that visit. This time we wanted to focus on the town, and we’re so glad we did!

Honningsvag began as a tiny little fishing village on the island of Mageroya in the extreme northern part of Norway. It is believed to be one of the oldest settlements on earth with roots dating as far back as 10,000 years and takes its proximity to the North Cape very seriously, claiming to be the Northernmost everything, including cost of living. It is Norway’s most expensive city. We don’t know about housing, but we’re told a dozen eggs can cost “north” of $10 – and that’s without an egg shortage! Our excursion today wasn’t scheduled until 2:00, so we took some to check the place out,

Our first encounter was with a troll, of course! And just past the troll was a memorial to Bamse, a beloved Norwegian St. Bernard who became a war hero.

Bamse was adopted by the Honningsvag harbormaster as a pup in 1937. He loved kids and was loved by them. During the summer Bamse would let the kids ride him like a horse and in the winter, he would pull them on their sleds. In 1939 the harbormaster was called to active duty and Bamse went with him. He quickly became a guardian of the crew and was even made an official member of the Royal Norwegian Navy. Pictures of him wearing a sailing collar and cap or special metal helmet were sent to Norwegians all around the world to lift their spirits during the war. Bamse is credited with saving at least two lives while on active duty. On one occasion the ship’s captain was the victim of an attempted robbery. The assailant pulled a knife on the captain; Bamse saw and came running. He pushed the guy into the harbor, saving the captain’s life. Another time a drunken sailor fell overboard when the men were in town for some R&R. Noone but Bamse saw it happen. Bamse jumped overboard and kept the man afloat, all the while barking like crazy until other men on the ship finally heard him and came to see what the fuss was about. They pulled the drunken sailor and Bamse to safety. Bamse died of a heart attack at the age of seven. He was wrapped in the nation’s flag and buried with full military honors. School was even canceled so the kids could attend the funeral.

Ken was looking for some high-speed internet (the internet on the ship is the best we’ve ever had, but, alas, it is not high-speed), and we found it at this great little bakery not far from the marina.

Honni Bakes is a wonderful one-man bakery/cafe. The owner/operator, Abdoulaye, said he is normally closed on Sundays, the day of the week we were here, but the port gives all of the shops the ship schedules and when there is a ship in town he opens. It is clear the locals are as happy about this as the tourists – the place was packed, and Abdoulaye never stopped moving. He was cashiering, preparing meals, cleaning up…he was doing it all! He also makes and sells his own specialty chocolate. We had cappuccinos and shared one of the freshest, most delicious cinnamon rolls we’ve had in a long time. Abdoulaye was very friendly and happy to share his internet. If you ever find yourself in Honningsvag we highly recommend you stop in here.

The main event of the day was a play put on by a group of high school kids. “Our Northernmost Life” tells the story of Honningsvag’s history, struggles, victories and way of life. We came in with low expectations and were blown away by how much fun it was.

The play is performed in the Perleporten Kulturhus, previously known as the Pearly Gates because of its history as a Christian meeting house. Originally built shortly after the second World War, the building fell into disrepair and in 2011 was bought by a couple of school teachers with plans to turn it into a music hall and pub. The couple moved their family in upstairs and went to work rebuilding the place.

They opened the pub in 2018 and quickly realized they could not do this and continue to teach, so they both quit their jobs and went all in. Somewhere along the line a fellow teacher approached them with a play he’d written and asked them to help him bring it to life. They began coordinating with the local high school and now produce the show every year with a cast of nine actors, who take turns playing four different characters throughout the season.

Before the show began, we were treated to Brigit’s homemade waffles, served with jam and Troll cream, coffee, tea and whatever we might want to purchase from the bar.

Torre was quite proud of the unique seaweed beer produced by their brewery and encouraged the group to try it. Ken did. One and done!

The performers are between 16- and 19-years-old. They did an absolutely fantastic job with the play, telling stories, singing, dancing, taking on characters…they were great! The show pays tribute to the island’s Sami heritage, and shares that the islanders call it Palm Island. There’s not a tree in sight, and it’s cold all the time, they admit, but they hold the island in the palm of their hand, hence the name.

At one point they use pictures to help audience members visualize the conditions described in a song.

In another they talked about how cold and windy it is here.

A main theme in the play is how warm and welcoming and community minded the residents of Honningsvag are. We saw more evidence of this on our way back to the ship when we passed a building with unique artwork. It was advertising an initiative that combines creativity with civic responsibility. Global Challenge is a collaboration between the Honningsvag School, an art gallery and a local artist. Students collect trash from local beaches, clean it and turn it into art that is then sold at a local gallery.

It was such a fun day! We loved our time here. Cheers, everyone!

August 15, 2025 (Longyearbyen, Norway – Day 2)

Mining is where it all started for Longyearbyen. Workers drawn by the promise of high wages moved themselves and their families here, mostly from other areas of Norway, even before Longyearbyen was officially part of Norway. It is the main reason that sixty-six percent of this town of 2,400 people representing fifty-three nationalities are Norwegian. For over 100 years mining has defined the character and culture of Longyearbyen, despite its increasing dependency on tourism and scientific research. But as of July 31, 2025, Norwegian mining operations no longer exist on the Svalbard archipelago.

The Svalbard archipelago is a group of hundreds of islands located halfway between Norway and the North Pole and spread among the Arctic Ocean and Barents, Greenland and Norwegian Seas. Longyearbyen is the most inhabited area in the archipelago.

There were lots of nationalities visiting or living on Longyearbyen in the 18th and 19th centuries, but no one had laid formal claim to it or its sister islands. The question of who should be granted sovereignty was raised multiple times, with Norway suggesting it should be the chosen one because of its geographic proximity, but the matter was not settled until after WWI. By that point world order had shifted as had Norway’s place in it. In an agreement reached in February 1920 as part of the Paris Peace Talks Norway was granted sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago, though the Treaty was not enforced until August 14, 1925. It gives Norway control over the archipelago while allowing citizens of all signatory nations to live and work there. The treaty also declared the islands a demilitarized zone and separated its official economic activities from those of Norway. Norway provides what some refer to as “bare bones” government services and infrastructure for Longyearbyen, but it is otherwise fairly independent.

Our activity today took us to Store Norske Spitsbergen KulKompani Mine #3. If you read yesterday’s post, you know that the coal mines on Longyearbyen were originally owned by American John Longyear and his company, Arctic Coal. Longyear sold the coal mines to Store Norske in 1916, and over time Store Norske became a wholly Norwegian state-owned company. Eventually they would come to run seven mines on the island. We are visiting Mine #3, which operated from 1971 to 1996 and has been preserved as a sort of living museum. The miners knew the mine was going to close, but they didn’t have an exact date. One day they showed up for work and at the end of their shift they were told there was no need to return. Many of them left their boots, work clothes and other items right where they were. In that way the mine operates as a bit of a time capsule.

Our tour began in what was once the lunchroom/meeting area for the miners. We watched part of a documentary cataloguing a day in the life of a miner, and then our guide introduced us to the layout of the mine and talked about the mining process. The map below provide an outline of the mine. Areas in gray are where coal has been removed.

The 3-D diagram indicates where in the mine “streets,” or tunnels have been created for excavating coal. Unlike the town, whose 25 miles of road do not sport a single road sign, all of the roads in the mine have names and signs. The black areas on the board are the coal deposits. The grooves are the tunnels or streets. The areas where you see spikes are streets that have been mined. It was important to keep track of who was where and what streets had been or were being mined because all of the mine operations in the area were extracting coal from the same mine. Knowing which areas have been or are being worked is essential to maintaining the integrity of the mine’s ceiling and ensuring it did not collapse on any of the workers.

The coal in Longyearbyen’s mine is located deep within the earth. It is thick, smooth, flat and largely fault-free. This type of coal is removed using what is referred to as a longwall mining technique. The height of the coal deposit is referred to as the seam. For safety reasons miners will not dig far above the height of the coal seam; doing so creates greater instability and could cause the mind to collapse on top of the workers. The coal seam in this mine is only 25-35 inches high. This means the workers spent eight hours a day in a space no more than three feet high – every day. To make matters even worse they had to crawl the length of two football fields before they could even begin their work for the day.

There were 150 employees in Mine #3 working in three eight-hour shifts with fifty workers each. The first shift was responsible for loosening the coal. They would use a chainsaw to cut an opening, then drill holes along the ridge created and place dynamite in the holes to blow the coal out.

The second group, the “Drivers,” would use shovels to “drive” the coal into the street where it could be collected for transport.

Finally, the third crew would come in to strengthen the mine. When the coal is removed from the walls it takes away support that is keeping the mine from falling in on itself. The third crew would place jacks under the portion of the ceiling that had just been mined to keep it from collapsing on the second shift when they came back to continue their job. There would normally be 500 jacks in place by the time a complete street had been mined. Once the removal of coal was complete those jacks had to be removed. Teams would work together, knocking the jacks out from under themselves, one jack at a time. Each time they removed a jack they would stop, wait and listen. With each removal the mountain would make little sounds. A moan or a groan meant they could continue removing jacks; if they heard a rumble they would yell, “Now she’s coming” and everyone would make for the exit. As a general rule of thumb 6-9′ of ceiling would be collapsing at a time. When all of the jacks had been removed the teams would work together to create a new street.

Now that we understood the process it was time to go see the mine for ourselves. We donned hard hats and gloves and received our safety briefing. We were warned about the gases emitted in the removal of coal, educated about how those gas levels are being monitored and shown how to use the “oxy box” in case of a leak. Yes, that hugely cumbersome she’s holding in her hand is a breathing mask for just such occasions. The oxy box that houses it is the cute little silver and black recepticle she’s holding.

And in we go!

Initially the miners used friction jacks to hold up the ceiling. They weighed about 35 lbs. each. Eventually they were deemed to be too dangerous and the company replaced them with hydraulic jacks. Hydraulic jacks could support more weight, and you could put them in place and remove them using a long handle-type mechanism. But! They weighed a lot more, too – 90 lbs. plus the weight of the bar used to put them in place and remove them. Needless to say, the miners were not happy about this. In the pictures below the first jack is the friction jack; the second jack is the hydraulic one. The main visual difference is that the hydraulic jack has a crossbar type feature near the top that allowed miners to use a bar to set it in place or pull it out. Ken can attest to how hard it is to lug those hydraulic puppies around!

It turns out more than mining is happening in this place. How many of you out there know that there is such a thing as a “Dooms Day Vault?” That’s not it’s official name, but that is sort of the point of it. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault contains seed samples of all types of plants from all over the world, including wild and no longer in use varieties. The seeds are maintained in a very specific physical environment and serve as a back-up to the world’s food supply. Having this supply increases agriculture’s ability to adapt crop production to changes in climate, local growing conditions, and people’s eating habits. Did you know that since 1900 the U.S. has lost over ninety percent of its fruit and vegetable varieties? Or that today China produces only ten percent of the variety of rice it did in the 1950s? Losing crop diversity means losing diversity in taste and in nutrition. The Genetic diversity represented in the vault could provide DNA traits needed to develop new varieties of existing crops or establish new production of crops that have been wiped out. The need for and value of the vault recently played out in Syria, where a civil war all but eliminated their agriculture and they had to basically start from scratch. They were able to use the seed samples stored in this vault to do so. There are 1,700 similar vaults located all around the world. The box in the photo below full of tubes of seeds is similar to those found in the vault. The sign on the door of the vault refers to it as the Fertility God’s Chamber.

A similar vault exists for the preservation of historical and cultural data. Participants donate material on microfiche expected to last a minimum of 2,000 years. The intent is to inform those who come after us what life was like before them. Contents of the Arctic World Archive include things like digitized copies of constitutions, the painting The Scream, the Vatican Library, and GitHub (recently purchased by Microsoft) publicly available open-source code.

By now we were traveling in pitch black, with only our headlamps to light the way. We were in the middle of the mountain, between seven and eight hundred feet underground. The temperature had been steadily dropping as we made our way deeper and deeper into the mine and now it was right about 28 degrees. The temperature in the mine remains constant.

We had the opportunity to truly experience life as a miner by donning coveralls and crawling into one of the old streets. Initially five people volunteered to try it (we were not among them), but ultimately only two did it. The street they were crawling into is more than six hundred feet deep. Its access point supported by nothing but a few logs wedged between walls and against each other. Discarded jacks were on the ground beneath it. In the wall across from the entrance they were crawling into we were able to see the coal seam we’d heard about earlier. It is the black area in the last photo.

Both of the guys who went in said they wouldn’t last an hour in this workspace, let alone eight. Some of the workers who came in the beginning came for just a few years to make a pile of money and go back home. Others stayed and moved on to less demanding jobs as they aged. There was one individual who continued his job working in this confined space for 40 (!) years.

When mining operations began in the early 1600s, coal was transported by rail. The challenge was that the track was often covered in snow, and workers had to spend a lot of time and effort digging snow tunnels for the train to travel through. The solution was a funicular railway that could carry the coal above ground. Its use was continued until the last mine shut down.

The miners of Svalbard worked hard in cold, dark, isolated conditions, creating a town, a culture and a legacy in the process. Their supporters now wonder how those too young to retire will transition to something new. How will they be affected by Longyearbyen’s requirement that everyone who lives there have a job and secure place to live if they are unable to find new employment on the island and can no longer afford their homes? They worry, too, about how the culture will change if so many Norwegians are forced to leave to find work. Many believe to the population will remain stable, but the composition will change, and Norwegians will make up less and less of the total population. They’ve seen how mine closures affected similar communities in Virginia and Kentucky in the U.S. and don’t want to see a similar fate befall them. They also worry that the Treaty giving Norway dominion over them also puts them at risk of another country coming in and essentially taking over the islands, specifically Russia. Russia has the only active mining operations on the archipelago now, and tensions have been high since their invasion of Ukraine. It will be interesting to revisit this entry in five or ten years and see how the landscape has changed.

So ends our time in this wonderful little town. We’ve been disappointed not to be able to witness the beauty of the surrounding fjords we’ve heard so much about, but nature had a surprise in store for us as we made our way towards the Barents Sea. The clouds remained, but the mountains emerged enough to give us a show and everywhere we looked we saw glaciers. The cell phone camera had a hard time capturing the majesty of it, but we hope you’ll get a sense of the awe and wonder that saw us on our way. What may look like clouds near the water in those last three pictures are actually fields of ice.

August 14, 2025

We woke this morning to a string of texts from Ken’s family debating which of the following two sunsets was best – the first one having occurred in Texas as a storm was rolling in; the second in Arizona. We’ll let you decide, since I don’t think they ever did.

Meanwhile, we were greeted with this view…In case you can’t tell, that’s fog on the horizon, There’s a town beyond it somewhere, but you would never know it from this vantage point,

Nevertheless, after two days at sea we are incredibly happy to be in Norway. This Kingdom of 5.6 million people has the singular distinction of continually ranking as one of the happiest countries in the world while also being home to the town of Hell, a small village in the central part of the country. Modern and ancient skiing were invented here (the oldest preserved ski ever found was found in Norway and estimated to be 2,300 years old!), and in 1925 Norway gave the world the cheese slicer . It’s also the country that introduced salmon sushi to Japan! The Japanese invented sushi, but had never used salmon in it until the 1980s, when a Norwegian delegation suggested they do so. Today salmon sushi is one of Japan’s most popular dishes. On a more serious note, Norway is a founding member of the United Nations, NATO and the European Free Trade Association, and it’s capital, Oslo, is home of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the World Bank, Norway has the fourth highest income per capita. If you don’t believe them you can check it out yourself. The income and wealth of all residents is public record. Every year each individual’s annual income, income tax paid, and total wealth are published and searchable by anyone – no special credentials required. It is thought that doing so makes tax evasion more difficult.

Despite all these bragging rights, Norway is a very humble and grateful nation. Every year the city of Oslo sends Britain a Christmas tree to thank them for their help defeating a Nazi invasion of Norway during WWII. And they don’t send just any ol’ Christmas tree – every year Norway sends the tree that graces Trafalgar square.

We will be in Norway for the remainder of our cruise, starting with a tiny little coal mining town originally founded by an American. In 1906 American John Munro Longyear established the Arctic Coal Company in what was then known as the town of Longyear. Ten years later he would sell the company to a Norwegian mining company, but the town name stuck. Longyearbyen simply means Longyear City. Throughout its history it has primarily been a company town, home to eight prolific coal mines and the families who worked them. All of the mines have since shut down – the final closure happening the end of last month – and the town has turned to other revenue sources, including tourism and scientific research.

The University Center of Svalbard is a hub of scientific research and offers its 300 students Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees in all Arctic disciplines, including biology, geology, geophysics, technology/environmental technology and safety. Only half the student body is Norwegian.

Despite being one of the most inhospitable places on earth this town of 2,400 boasts an incredibly diverse population representing more than 53 different countries. But this is not the kind of place people are born and raised and live in until they die. In fact, it’s against the law to be born here or to die here – no kidding! The average person stays here about seven years.

There are no medial facilities to accommodate a live birth so women are required by law to leave the island at the start of their third trimester of pregnancy. As for the prohibition against death, it should really read that it’s illegal to be buried here, but when the law was written in the 1950s it said it is illegal to die, and so it is. This is because in the 1950s researchers discovered that the freezing temperatures had kept the bodies of those who had been buried here from decomposing. Making matters worse, they found that those who had died of tuberculosis still carried the live disease in their non-decomposed bodies, putting those who were still alive at risk of another epidemic.

Here’s another fun fact: cats are completely banned! This is because they are a threat to the birds of the island, who make their nests on the ground because – another fun fact – there are absolutely NO trees on Longyearbyen. The town is far above the arctic tree line. The ground is permanently frozen, making it impossible for tree roots to grow.

This also explains why the entire town is built on stilts. The permafrost is anywhere from thirty to one-hundred-thirty feet deep, with an active layer that melts every summer. The stilts keep the buildings safe from the active layer so buildings don’t sink or flood when temperatures rise.

Today we got to explore the ancient art of dogsledding. Back in the day this was the preferred way to get around in the wintertime. Today everyone and his brother owns a snowmobile – they are EVERYWHERE! A favorite past-time is to load the snowmobiles up after work on Friday night and head out for a weekend adventure with family and friends in the Arctic wilderness. But that wasn’t always the case. Dogsledding originated about 1,000 years ago in what is now the Canadian Arctic, invented by the Inuits who discovered dogs handle cold and snow much better than horses. New France even used dog teams during the Seven Year War in what is now Quebec!

First we got suited up…

Then we headed out to the camp to meet the dogs and learn the fine are of dogsledding. Basecamp explorer is home to 85 dogs, half of which are male and half of which are female. The dogs are divided by gender, with a special area for those girls who are in heat. Basecamp doesn’t spay or neuter their dogs because they believe it affects their personality and can create health issues. Each dog has his/her own house with a wool blanket on the inside and a reindeer antler attached to the outside for them to chew on. The houses are distanced so that each dog has his/her own territory.

Basecamp uses only Alaskan Huskies. They are not purebreds, but sort of the Heinz-57, as Pam’s dad would say, of sledding dogs. They are a combination of a variety of breeds that seems to result in the best dogs for sledding in terms of temperament, strength and stamina. They are very social, love living in groups, easy to train and very loyal. Our first task, before doing anything else, was to say hello to them.

Our guide, Matthew, explained that we would be hooking up and driving our own team of dogs. He introduced us to the basket sleds we would be using, and showed us the importance of hooking their collars first to the front, and then connecting the harness at the rear. He had told us how much the dogs love pulling the sleds, and at one point he had to stop talking as they proved it. They all began howling in unison until Matt could no longer talk over them. It was hilarious, and pretty cool.

Lessons over it was time for us to find, greet and harness our dogs. Each dog’s house has their name on it, and each row of houses is numbered. We were given the name and location of each of our six dogs one by one. We greeted them, put their harness on and attached them to the sled. They were very friendly and excited to be going! ALL of the dogs wanted to be the one chosen to go, and it was hard to tell some of them no.

After harnesses were checked and lines straightened we were off.

It’s a good thing Matt gave us these suits and boots – it turns out dogsledding is not exactly a white glove job! Ken was very grateful Pam agreed to let him drive. Her coat is not zipped up to her nose because it’s cold – it’s to keep mud from flying into her mouth! Ewwww! It’s easy to understand why people here take their shoes off before entering their homes or a restaurant.

We stopped twice to water the dogs. They do not have the same cooling mechanisms as humans, and when they’re working so hard in what are for them such warm temperatures (about 45 degrees) it’s important to keep them hydrated.

Dogsledding is a big past-time here. There are several kennels, and as we mushed our way down the road we could hear dogs howling and barking all along the way. We passed a couple of the kennels where townspeople keep their own teams of dogs. When we reached the halfway point another guide helped turn the dogs around.

We enjoyed our day with the dogs, but neither of us would like to do this on a regular basis. It’s a bit of a desolate existence. The camp is located about six miles outside of town. Matt lives in the hut in the picture below with no electricity or running water, the ground here has an icky smell (Matt says when he visits his mom, he can wash his clothes every day for seven days and she still tells him, “You stink!” 😂), the sun doesn’t rise for four months of the year, it snows for seven and this is a really dirty job. Add to that the scenery on a day like today and it’s hard for people like us to see the draw. But people like Matt love it. He is from the Czech Republic and said he fell in love with the fjords and seven glaciers that surround Longyearbyen. He’d never seen anything like it at home, and he loves the cold. It’s all yours, Matt!

Just as we were preparing to leave the sun began to break through the clouds. If you look closely you can see the outline of the remains of one of the old coal mines overlooking the camp we visited today, and beyond that some of those snow covered peaks we’ve heard so much about. We’ll be here again tomorrow, and are hoping they’ll be in full view.

August 11, 2025 (Isafjordur, Iceland)

We’re baaaack! We are back in Isafjordur, where we made an initial visit just six days ago on August 5th. Having already explored the local area and town on our previous visit, this time around we opted for a 4-wheel drive adventure to the jewel of Westfjords, Dynjandi Waterfalls, and the outlying area. It was a great time!

For a minute it was the trip that almost wasn’t. Our guide noticed some smoke coming out from under the hood and heard a slight whistling sound. He pulled over to check things out and decided we could make it to the falls, where he would do some minor repairs that would get us through the rest of the day. Fingers crossed…

Dynjandi Waterfall is approximately three-hundred feet tall, one-hundred feet wide at the top and two hundred feet wide at the bottom. We started at the bottom and worked our way up. Ken got some beautiful shots.

Pam couldn’t decide which was harder….going up…

…or coming down!

Either way, it was worth the effort…

Clearly Icelanders are not as litigious as Americans. There are no handrails or steps anywhere, and no barriers to keep you from falling into the falls. They’re big on common sense and good balance.

After our visit to Dynjandi, we stopped by a private farm for cake and coffee. There did not appear to be any reason to stop here except that the owner’s daughter is running the place and making the money from the coffee and cakes. But it was pretty and the cinnamon rolls were good. The guy who owned the place before had his own church.

From here it was time to engage the 4-wheel drive. Do you see the road in this picture? This is only a portion of what we “drove” up. There was no way to take pictures as we made our way up up up the shortcuts and around the hairpin bends in the road. Only a local would know about the route we took. It was a fun, of bumpy, ride.

Our last stop was to the top of Mt. Sandefell. We didn’t have a photo op, so Pam tried to find a picture to give you a sense of the experience. This is the best she could find. We were headed to the top of that brown mountain peak on the far right of the second photo by way of the green line in the last photo. The picture is dark, we know, but if you follow the green line, and imagine a one-lane dirt trail going straight up with no shoulder on either side, you get a sense of our experience.

The views at the top were the reward.

During the spring the mountain is covered in these beautiful purple flowers, lupine. We tried to find a picture to help you imagine it, but this is the best we could do.

When it came time to come down off Mt. Sandefell there were those who did not want to be part of the 14-point turn it would take to get the vehicle turned around. They asked our guide to get the vehicle turned around without them in it, but he just laughed and waved them back in. As we were backing up he said, “I just look for the church in the village below in my rearview mirror. When I see it I know I’ve gone far enough on the ledge; if I see the cemetery I’ve gone too far!”

We drove through that little village on our way back to town. You can see Mt. Sandefell in the background of the church. Our guide told us a great story about the green building in the following photos. The home was old and uncared for that the village council was going to tear it town. A man and a woman vacationing here drove past on a tour like ours, heard the story, and decided to make an offer to save the building. They bought it for $300, moved here and created what is now a bustling cafe, with so much business they had to add the bus out back.

Some of you have asked who is taking care of Sophie while we are off on this grand voyage. Sophie is living her best life with Ken’s sister, Cathy, and brother-in-law Craig. She’s going for rides with the top down, checking out concerts in the park, cooling off in the lake and maintaining her beauty routine. We sure do miss you, Sophie Girl!

August 10, 2025 (Reykjavik, Iceland)

…move on to Plan B!

We were looking forward to today’s outing, an all-day tour of the Golden Circle in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Golden Circle is a 190-mile route that includes a national park that sits where the North America and Eurasia tectonic plates meet, a geothermal area home to two famouse geysers, and Gulfosss Falls. Our tour also included an opportunity to swim in the famed Blue Lagoon. We booked out tour through a third party vendor, not the ship, and at the time Pam booked she was assured the tour would return in time for us to make our ship’s departure. However, on the day of the tour, Pam saw a note that it would be an 11-hour adventure, making it impossible to get back before the ship left port. We were bummed, but Ken immediately went into Plan B mode. He booked us on the Hop On/Hop Off tour and away we went. What a great day it turned out to be!

Reykjavik is the largest and most commercial city we’ve visited on this cruise. Two-thirds of Iceland’s population lives here, about 142,00 people, and its development was largely influenced by activities associated with WWII. Britain invaded in 1940 to help protect Iceland’s fisheries, its main source of revenue, and the U.S. took over those duties from 1941 through the end of the war in 1947. While they were here the soldiers wanted to be able to go out on their off-duty hours, to have somewhere to eat, drink, be entertained. This pushed the city to develop a new infrastructure, transforming a once-small village into a modern city that would one day be chosen as one of the European Cities of Culture anda UNESCO City of Literature.

The city loves its statues! One of the most famous statues in the city is the Solfar, or Sun Voyager. It is located in the old harbor on the banks of Faxaflói Bay. Built to commemorate Reykjavik’s 200th anniversary it is an ode to the sun, meant to convey the promise of undiscovered territories, a dream of hope, progession and freedom.

One of the more interesting ones we saw is the Unknown Bureaucrat. It’s a commentary on the faceless bureaucrats tasked with protecting our interests and how their decisions can help create a life that just weighs us down. It is conveniently located on a route many officials take on their way to work.

Another unique statue honrs the water carriers of Reykjavik, a class of people responsible for bringing water to the innter city before the implementation of modern methods. Considered one of the lowest and least respected jobs in society, the statue pays homage to those who suffered this existence.

Finally, Einar Benediktsson was a poet whose work is credited as having had a significant impact on the nationalist revival that led to Iceland’s independence.

We drove past the Reykjavik International Airport, center of domestic flights for Iceland and a limited number of international flights. It doesn’t look like it’s changed much since the current runway layout was established by the Brits in WWII. And in fact, when Pam researched it she found out it hasn’t. Since the 1960s the City Council has been debating the future of this airport given its inability to accommodate the needs of advanced aircraft, the way the city has developed around it and the noise pollution it creates. There is currently a proposal to close the airport in 2030 but no final decision has been made.

Our first stop off the bus was a whale museum full of life-size models. Pam thought it would be a bit hokey, but it ended up being really cool.

Did you know, for example, that female Orcas go through menopause or that they have markings on their dorsal fins similar to our fingerprints, markings unique to each individual whale? Or that the Sperm Whale is not only the largest toothed animal on earth, but also possibly the loudest? This inspiration for Moby Dick and the whale that swallowed Pinocchio can produce vocalizations louder than a jet plane! One of the biggest surprises for us is just how big these guys are in real life. Blue Whale calves are born weighing three tons, and for the first seven months of their lives they gain 220 pounds A DAY(A). That’s an average of nine pounds an hour!!!

Next up was Fly Over Iceland, a virtual experience with special effects like wind, mist and scents that takes you over the most iconic landscapes of Iceland, some of which we recognized from earlier stops on the cruise. They begin with a little movie that sets the stage for a presentation by a female troll before you actually do the fly over. Trolls are a significant part of Icelandic folklore. They are usually described as large, clumsy beings prone to doing evil to others. They live in the rocky highlands and remote areas of Iceland, and have been known to turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. This explains many of the various rock formations around the land. They serve both as a source of entertainment and as an educational tool for surviving Iceland’s harsh environment. Icelanders continuing belief in these mystical creatures reflect their deep connection to the land, where every mountain may hold a tale, and even today influences their environmental policies. Trolls are an integral part of Icelandic cultural identity and storytelling traditions.

Back on the bus we drove past Hofoi, location of the 1986 summit meeting between then-President Ronald Reagan and then-Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev that would prove a critical step in ending the cold war, and Hallgrimskirkja, Iceland’s largest church and the tallest building in the city, thanks to its spire. The church serves both as a parish church and a national monument to a renowned Icelandic poet. It’s design is inspired by the shapes of colling lava. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.

Next up was Perlan. Perched on Reykjavik’s highest hill and billed as an interactive nature museum, Perlan tells the story of Iceland’s geological history. We began in the Planetarium with an immersive viewing of the Northern Lights. They are visible in Iceland from late August through April, but require a lot of luck to see. Conditions have to be just right!

As we were preparing to leave for our cruise Reykjavik was in the news because of some volcanic activity near the city. The volcano that is erupting is in the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 40 miles southwest of Reykjavik. We saw a movie about the first volcano to become active in that peninsula in 2021, after being dormant for almost 800 years. The peninsula has been continually erupting ever since, and has caused the occasional evacuation of nearby towns and the Blue Lagoon, but there is currently no threat to infrastructure or tourist activities.

At the end of the movie the museum surprised us with a sneak peak of a new exhibit they have been working on for 19 months and plan to unveil in another six. It was a virtual reality experience that took us along a river bed, under the water, down, down, down, to the center of the earth. We went more than 6,500 feet below the earth’s surface where the temperature is a not so cool 1,100 degrees. The next thing we know we’re being shot straight up and spewing out the mouth of a volcano. It was so cool!! Some little kid about five years old cried out, “Holy moly!” It was priceless! Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos

Having gotten us all hot and bothered it was time to cool us off in the ice cave! Check out that temp – minus 10 Celsius equals 14 degrees Farenheit. Brrrr!!!

Ice caves are a natural phenomenon that take shape within glaciers when melting ice sends water streaming through the interior of the glacier. This particular cave is 328 feet long. They used 350 tons of ice to recreate it. Compare that to the Gaylord Palms ICE! show in Orlando that uses 2 MILLION pounds of ice to create their ice sculptures.

We enjoyed lunch in the museum’s cafe ($60 for a single serving of fish and chips, a diet Pepsi and a beer! Life in Iceland is not cheap!), watching their geyser go off about every fifteen minutes, before stepping outside to enjoy the 360 degree view of the city.

Last site for viewing is the Harpa Concert Hall. Its exterior was designed by an actual artist and is one of the largest works of art in the world. This cultural and social center has received numerous awards for architecture, as a concert hall and as a conference center. It’s pretty cool.

It was a really fun day, and in the end we were glad things worked out as they did. It would have been great to see the waterfalls and the Blue Lagoon we’ve heard so much about from others, but just look what we would have missed!

August 9, 2025

Visitors arriving on Heimaey’s sunny shores today would never imagine the horror visited upon it slightly more than fifty years ago. This capital of Atlantic Puffins (some say the population of puffins can outnumber people by a ratio of 1,777 to one!) and the only populated island in all of Iceland’s Western Highlands experienced a Pompeii-esque event in 1973 that would forever change the physical attributes of the island, reshape the nature of the people who live there and forever influence the way the world at large prepares for and responds to natural disasters. But we’ll get that later. First, let’s take a ride around the island.

Heimaey (hay-may-ay) is a 5.2 square mile island, the largest in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, a group of 15 small islands formed nearly 11,000 years ago off Iceland’s southern coast. It is home to 4,300 friendly people and a BUNCH of Puffins. Every year thousands of young Puffins, also known as Pufflings, take their first flight off Heimaey’s cliffs. Unfortunately, some of these little guys get disoriented by the town’s lights and instead of launching themselves into the water as they should they throw themselves towards town and land on the streets instead of the open sea. Enter the Puffin Patrol! Local children and volunteers collect the lost Pufflings, keep them safe overnight and then release them into the ocean the next day. They rescued 12,000 Pufflings last year. Lucky for us one such Puffling was found yesterday and joined us for a bit before we began our bus tour.

Another tradition unique to Heimaey is spranging, a kind of rappelling used in the old days to gather birds’ eggs to be included in the islanders’ regular diet. Without a grocery store to bring the eggs to them, islanders had to go to the eggs, located in nests high in the surrounding cliffs. Islanders would climb to the top of the cliffs, secure a rope and swing from side to side collecting eggs from the nests as they went. It’s been a while since inhabitants have had to go to such lengths to feed themselves, but the skill continues to be passed on as a sport and annual competitions are held to see who can sprang the best. A local 12-year-old boy showed us how it was done. A photo from a local museum gives an even better angle.

The smell of fish permeates the air, no matter where you are on the island. We drive past the fish factory and our guide asks if we smell something. “We call that the smell of money,” he says. Fishing is the island’s number one industry.

Heimaey is also home to an 18-hole golf course. Golfing in Iceland?! Who knew! Not many folks can say they’ve golfed inside a caldera.

Driving past the golf course we get a terrific view of another famous Heimaey resident, The Elephant. Can you see her?

As our ship approached Heimaey we noticed a lone house on top of one of the giant rocks (aka islands) in the waters surrounding the town. Our guide explained that these are old hunting cabins, still standing from the days when it was legal to hunt Puffin and they were a welcome addition to a diet of fish and lamb. Islanders would boat to the islands, climb to the top and hunt the birds. You can find one on almost every island in the area. Our guide told us a story about how they’re sometimes used these days by sheepherders who use zip lines to get their sheep from a boat to the top of the mountain and back down again. He might have some oceanfront property in Arizona to sell you, too.

Our extensive 30-minute bus tour ended at the museum commemorating that violent volcanic eruption I mentioned at the start of today’s blog.

This still-buried home marks the entrance to the Eldheimar Museum.

At 8:00 p.m. on January 21, 1973 a seismograph 40 miles away on the mainland of Iceland noted the first small earthquakes. Between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. January 22nd more than one hundred “big” quakes were noted. Seismic activity continued until 11:00 a.m., then resumed again about twelve hours later. Between 11:00 p.m. January 22nd and 1:34 a.m. January 23rd seven more earthquakes were reported, each moving closer and closer to the town of Heimaey. Residents were warned to expect a small amount of activity from their island volcano. Noone was prepared for what hit them at 1:45 a.m. January 23rd.

Townspeople woke to the sounds of lava shooting as much as 500 feet in the air as molten lava poured out the sides of this beast that had last erupted nearly 5,000 years before. Sirens sounded, neighbors pounded on doors and all but 500 people were evacuated inside of thirty minutes. The brave 500 who remained immediately went to work trying to save their town. Over the course of the next five plus months nearly one-third of all of the homes and buildings were burned or buried as lava, volcanic rocks and ash continued pouring over the island.

The main flow of lava ran into the sea. The people knew that if it was allowed to continue it would seal off the entrance to the harbor completely, effectively ending the town’s main source of income. They went to work spraying seawater onto the lava flow, and to their amazement it worked! They increased the amount of water being applied to the flowing lava, eventually getting assistance from the U.S. Navy, and were able to save the harbor. It was the first time in history this approach had worked.

Cleanup started immediately. Many didn’t return, but new people came in their place eager to help with the rebuilding efforts. By September of 1973 nearly 1200 people had returned, streetlights were back on, and school was in session. By the end of 1975 population was at 85% of what it had been at the time of the eruption. Noone was killed during the eruption, but livestock was lost. One man died during cleanup, a result of inhaling toxic gases emitted by the lava. Thousands of birds were lost to the gases as well.

Forty years after the disaster, a house was unearthed that became the center of the museum we are visiting. A family of five had lived here, the youngest just three weeks old. Mom had been up late doing laundry when she saw fire through the living room window.

Despite all of the loss, the people of Heimaey choose to focus on the unexpected blessings that came from this experience. The town’s land mass increased twenty percent. Not only had the harbor entrance been saved, the lava flow created better protection from fierce winds. The residual material from the volcano provided unlimited landfill, something that had been in short supply before and was essential to rebuilding efforts. For several years after the eruption the town was able to harness the heat from the lava to heat all of its homes which eventually led to a unified heating system. There was an immediate and dramatic increase in tourism. And perhaps most significant lessons learned in disaster preparedness and response continue to be applied across the world today.

The Heimaey we visited today is vibrant and thriving, a true Phoenix that has literally risen from the ashes.

August 8, 2025

“Valley of Waterfalls.” That was the title of today’s tour – and we did see waterfalls, but it seems to us that the entirety of Iceland could claim this title. Everywhere we look in all of these towns surrounded by towering fjords there are waterfalls. It’s a bit like churches or castles in Europe.

Today we are in Djupivogur, Iceland. We have no idea how to pronounce it. When we look up the pronunciation of the name of the town online it gives us an Icelandic pronunciation, which was no help at all to these dumb Americans. Here: you try it: ˈtjuːpɪˌvɔːɣʏr̥. How’d that work for you? So, we’ll just call it D-Town.

If Seydisfjordur was the most picturesque town we’ve visited, D-Town is probably the most non-descript.

This map might suggest otherwise but we hit every point of interest in less than 45 minutes.

Highlights included a very colorful building and piano walkway created in honor of the annual Hammond Music Festival. Yes, that Hammond – as in the piano and organ name many of us are familiar with. In this case the festival is in honor of the Hammond pipe organ. The Hammond pipe organ was invented by an American in America, and we could find no explanation for why they celebrate it here in D-Town, but they’ve been doing it since 2006, making it one of Iceland’s oldest music festivals. It’s held the first day of summer every year, which apparently always falls on a Thursday, continues through the weekend and culminates in one singer performing to the sounds of the organ in the Church of Djupivogur.

The other honorable mention is an artist’s tribute to the birds of the area. The artist created a copy of the egg of each of the thirty-four species of birds that call this area of Iceland home, then placed each one of those eggs on a pillar. The pillars had been around for a while and were becoming a bit of an eyesore. The artist thought this would be a great solution. From a distance they may look like they’re all the same, but each is slightly different, in color and in shape. Our guide felt it necessary to point out that they are not built to scale.

As we were walking the town we passed this house that seemed to be the epitome of what it means to live here…a 4-wheel drive vehicle, camper and 4-runner for the snow.

But this was not our excursion. Our excursion was to load up in a group of 4x4s and explore this Valley of the Waterfalls. We weren’t sure whether those 4x4s would be of the variety of the yellow one in the picture above, open-air jeeps or what. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they were very nice, super-lifted 4-door pick-up trucks with heat and great shocks. Those shocks and 4-wheel-drive would come in handy before we were through!

Heading out of town we had a great view of this guy across the way. This is Bulandstindur, a mountain famous in Icelandic folklore for its ability to grant wishes during summer solstice, when the sun is in its most northernly point in the Earth’s sky. Unfortunately for us summer solstice was at precisely 02:42:02 on June 21st this year, so looks like we won’t be getting our wishes granted. Bummer.

As we continued on we passed the now-familiar fishing nets, but with a much bigger story this time around. Our guide (whose name was pronounced like Goodenough, but I think was really Gudenur) works for the fishing company here, the islands main industry, and gave us a great education. Believe it or not, this little town of fewer than 500 people is one of Iceland’s biggest producers of salmon. Each net in this “farm” will produce 120,000-125,000 salmon. This is just one site; there are many along the coastline not only of this island but several others. Gudenur’s job is to feed the fish, which he does through a computer operation in the office. The white hose looking object you see running from the boat out to the nets is actually a feeding tube with specific disbursement points for each individual net. From his desk in the office Gudenur dispenses food into the tubes and is able to determine if there are any issues with the feeding mechanism or the fish. They also have something that circulates the food once disbursed to ensure all of the fish have equal opportunity to eat. Pretty amazing!

We took in the surrounding scenery while Gudenur told us about life in this small fishing village surrounded by two fjords and a mountain. They have all the essential services he says – a grocery store, school, doctor, dental services. Of course, there is no hospital, and the dentist only comes once every other week. There’s a “local” hospital two hours away, but if there’s something really serious that hospital will have to send you to Reykjavik. “What if there’s an emergency?” Pam asks. “You die,” Gudenur says, without missing a beat. He’s completely serious and recounts for us the story of two neighbors, one who had a stroke and the other a heart attack for whom that was true.

There are basically three families who own all of the land around the town – we’re talking MASSIVE amounts of land – and all of them are related. One is Gudenur’s and the other two belong to Gudenur’s cousin. Gudenur’s great-grandfather was one of the first settlers here, and at one point they were the last farmers left. Gudenur is the 7th consecutive generation of his family to live here.

With such large families and such a small population there’s a lot of on-line dating and mail order brides. The town has a surprisingly large Phillipino population related to a couple of mail order brides whose families followed them here. We asked about family feuds similar to the Hatfields and McCoys. Gudenur laughed uproariously and said, “More like The Real Housewives!”

We stop at our first waterfall. Gudenur tells us they’ve been measuring the volume of the falls since 1968. Historically these falls have had a volume of more than 2,000 gallons/second. In recent years that has fallen to just a little over 500 gallons/second. The most they’ve ever recorded was during a year of record snowfall and rain when they saw in excess of 100,000 gallons of water/second. That’s crazy! But last year the town experienced a summer heat wave of 80 degrees every day for two weeks. Hard to doubt global warming when you hear these things about Iceland.

Gudenur tells a little about his family history in the area and shares that everything we can see around us is his family’s property. In the U.S. this would make him and his family very rich, but here in Iceland he still needs multiple jobs. Gudenur works full-time at the fish hatchery, is a sheep farmer with about 500 head of sheep, and is a tour guide on his days off from the hatchery.

We stop at what at first glance appears to be a pile of rocks. Gudenur explains that this is his family’s old homestead. The home was originally built in 1852; the last people to live here were Gudenur’s great-uncle. He moved here with his bride in 1922. Twenty-two years and seventeen children later they left because the lack of roads made commercial farming impossible. The only transportation they had the entire time they lived here were horses and their own two feet. If they ordered something they couldn’t get on the island it would be brought in by boat and they had to figure out how to get it up this steep rocky terrain to their house.

It’s hard to explain the pictures, but we’ll try. In the second picture you see a conclave area filled with rocks. The area that appears to be just above it was the vegetable garden where the family grew root vegetables, the only vegetables that would survive the harsh conditions. Above the conclave area would have been the kitchen and entrance to the house. Immediately behind the kitchen was the cow’s room. Yes, that’s right, the cow’s room. Dairy cows were extremely important for their milk, and they couldn’t take the bitter outdoor cold, so they had their own special place in the house. The rest of the house was contained within the perimeter of the rocks you see scattered around the edges. As many as fourteen people and one cow filled this space at any given time. Gudener’s great-aunt lived to be 95. She was once interviewed by a local paper who commented on how crowded the living conditions must have been. Her response: “We were very comfortable. We had plenty of space.” They slept three kids to a bed and never thought a thing about it. Can you imagine this lifestyle? No neighbors, no midwife, nobody to help in case of an emergency…that’s some serious self-sufficiency!

We continued making our way up, up, up the mountain, engaging the 4-wheel drive as we made our way up this rugged road that didn’t exist until 1989.

We eventually make our way to the top of this rugged terrain, climbing steep hills and crossing riverbeds along the way.

We saw one final waterfall on the return trip, where we were also treated to some very hot chocolate, coffee and homemade cakes. We were the first to arrive at the perfect photo op spot, which led to Ken doing what Ken does – taking others’ pictures for them.

One final note about D-Town. When doing her pre-cruise research, Pam learned that D-Town is part of the Cittaslow Movement, an initiative begun in Italy in 1999. It promotes “slow living” as a way to achieve personal and environmental health. The three primary goals are to 1) improve quality of life; 2) preserve local culture; and 3) promote sustainability. More than three hundred cities world-wide, representing thirty-three areas of the globe, have signed on to the program. D-Town is the only Icelandic community to do so; Sonoma, CA is the only city in the U.S. We don’t know about the rest of it, but we can definitely confirm that D-Town has the “less frantic” part of the commitment of Cittaslow down pat!

August 7, 2025

In the innermost corner of a fjord in Eastern Iceland lies a picturesque town of the same name with 680 residents living an idyllic life amid constant threat of landslides and avalanches. The 100 or so students who live there share classrooms with multiple grade levels and more and more often go away to college only to return home to marry and raise their families in the traditions in which they were raised.

Seydisfjordur (say-dis-fee-yorder) was without a doubt our very favorite stop of the cruise thus far. We arrived just as the morning clouds were burning off, allowing the sun to shine through and illuminate the bright colors of this beautiful town. Our excursion was not scheduled to begin until 4:00, so we had ample time to explore.

There is a little lake in the center of the town, which flows into a river at the opposite end of fjord. It is a very artistic town with a wonderfully quirky sense of humor.

This metal statue was planted in the middle of an open common area, spinning in the breeze. There was a sign accompanying it that read, “The breeze of the golden hour chases the silver linings. (The statue moves in) a perpetual spin, inviting delay and asking to un-convey.”

As we walked through the town, we could hear the squeals of children playing behind the local swimming pool. Every town in Iceland has its own community pool opened year-round, and it is mandatory that children learn to swim.

In the heart of the town is an area known as Rainbow Street. On a sunny summer day in 2016 one of the town residents decided this little street needed some TLC. That night all of the residents came together to paint the colors of the rainbow in the street’s center. Now they get together once a year every year to repaint it and keep the colors fresh!

Roads connect this town to others around the island, but there is no air strip, so the only way for true outsiders to get here, or for residents to get out, is by boat. During the summer a car ferry runs from Denmark to Seydisfjordur once a week. We were told the two-day journey can cost $2500/pp or more if you bring your car and want a berth.

By the time 4:00 rolled around the sun had disappeared, the wind was whipping up, and the temperature was dropping. We were beginning to question our decision to join a 4-hour e-bike tour. Adding to our anxiety was the fact that it’s probably been thirty or more years since either of us has been on a bike, and neither of us has ever been on an e-bike. We needn’t have worried. It’s true what they say about riding a bike, and e-bikes are awesome!!!

We rode through the town and around a bend that took us to the other side of the fjord. We continued our journey on a gravel road, with lots of hills, some fairly steep. The e-bike made it a seamless effort. Our first stop was a beautiful set of waterfalls tucked away in a little valley. We parked our bikes in a pull-out along the water’s edge and hiked a short distance to the falls. On warm, sunny days this spot is popular for picnicking or hanging out with a good book. It is covered in wild blueberries free for the picking when they’re ripe.

Further down the road we spotted a farm along the banks of the fjord. This would be our next stop.

But first we would again leave our bikes, this time at the top of a steep hill, and pay a brief visit to another waterfall, where we had the opportunity to sample the purity of the water coming down the falls.

The farm was the casualty of an avalanche nearly 100 years ago. At the time of the avalanche there was the farmhouse, an equipment building and the sheep barn. Two sons were working in the barn when the snow came barreling down. The picture below shows what was left of the equipment building. There was nothing left of the barn, but the brothers miraculously survived without injury. The family decided to move shortly thereafter, and no one has returned.

Now that we had tasted the water and sampled some local dried fish (ewww!!! 🤢) and candy, it was time to climb back on our bikes and make our way back to town. But first that hill. If we’re not feeling the effects of the bike tomorrow, we’ll surely be feeling this hill!

We passed lots of grazing sheep on our way to the waterfalls and on the way back we stopped by one of the farms to say hello and learn more about them. It’s all stuff we’d already heard, so no need to repeat. The sheep really liked our guide’s bike. They kept trying to eat the tire and chain!

Before re-entering town, we stopped in an area where new avalanche fences are being built. They aren’t your standard old metal barriers, though. These “fences” are metal mesh filled with boulders, pebble and sod. The intent is for sod to grow and cover the fences so that they eventually blend into the landscape, providing the necessary protection without the unsightliness of conventional methods. A walking path is also planned that will take individuals from the marina up into mountain for scenic views and photo ops. Very clever!

We rode on to the base of a waterfall we’d seen earlier in the day but elected not to explore because we assumed it would be part of our excursion. That was a mistake. Our guide brought us here to tell us about the most recent catastrophic landslide the town experienced, but we did not hike the falls.

Pam mentioned earlier that residents hear live with the constant threat of avalanches and landslides. The side we rode on earlier is prone to avalanches; this side is prone to slides. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic, the town experienced a landslide that essentially divided the town in two. Mud flowed all the way down the mountain and across the road, burying or carrying with it ten houses. Pam found a picture of the damage on the internet.

Neither of our guides is originally from this town, and they commented on the sense of family and community they witnessed during this event, when 660 people sought refuge in a tiny community center at a moment when the rest of the world was staying six feet apart from one another. The guides said there is an excellent warning system in place that uses a color-coded system and cell phones to notify residents when there is activity and the level of threat. Evacuations happen every year. City planners are working to mitigate the threat by building the avalanche fences we mentioned earlier (if you’re wondering how much snow they get here, one of our guides had to be dug out of his house last winter – so much snow fell he couldn’t open his front door. Others have ladders they keep handy inside so they can climb out second story windows!) and building canals into the side of the mountain so help with water drainage.

We loved the bike ride and are totally sold on e-bikes now.

After dinner we attended a magic/comedy show where BOTH of us ended up being part of the act. First Pam was pulled from the audience (and had her watch stole by this very skillful pickpocket), and then Ken volunteered a $20 bill for a trick and ended up participating in TWO tricks!

For the first trick, the magician had Ken write his name on his bill. The magician folded it multiple times and made it disappear. He made it reappear inside an orange inside a bag inside a box he had given to an audience member earlier in the show. Ken said when he got it back the bill was sopping wet with orange juice. That last picture is Ken trying to get the orange juice off his $20 bill! 😂

Ken’s second trick involved toilet paper and slight of hand.

It was a fun way to end the day and now we’re celebrities!

August 6, 2025

The Diamond Circle is a 155-mile loop in North Iceland that begins and ends in Akureyri (pronounced ah-koo-ray-ee), Iceland. It connects geothermal hot springs, a community rich in whale watching history, and Europe’s second most powerful waterfall with vast lava fields for a varied and scenic journey.

Akureyri is the largest town we’ve visited on this cruise. Located in one of the longest fjords in Northeast Iceland, with a population of about 20,000 it is the second largest city in Iceland. Despite its proximity to the Arctic Circle just 37 miles away it enjoys a relatively mild climate and is home to one of the world’s northernmost botanical gardens. After all of the rock and barren land we’ve seen thus far we were a little taken aback by the lush landscapes in Akureyri.

We didn’t visit the gardens, but friends on the ship did and were impressed with its beauty and variety. The garden boasts 430 native plants and is successfully raising an addition 6,600 non-native species.

Our journey took us out of Akureyri, through the surrounding farmlands and into the nearby lava fields. On our way out of town we got to witness one of the town’s more unique attributes – heart-shaped red traffic lights.

According to our guide, Akureyri initially began installing the heart-shaped lights during some annual sporting event or festival, we can’t remember exactly, but when COVID hit and caused the banks in Iceland to fail, the town found itself in a very dark place. Remembering how much people enjoyed the lights when they were in use in the past the mayor decided reinstalling the lights would be a good way to lift people’s spirits and remind them of what really matters in life. The idea was hugely successful and is now one of visitors’ favorite memories of the town. Unfortunately, the city may be forced to remove them. After more than seven years traffic administrators outside of town have decided the lights pose a danger to drivers. They issued a letter to the city telling them they must remove the lights. The city responded that there has never been a traffic accident said to have been caused by the lights, and they will not be removed. Time will tell who wins the argument. We’re rooting for Akureyri.

On our way to our first stop we saw some of the Icelandic sheep we’ve been hearing about, and Icelandic horses. Icelandic sheep are different than our American breeds in that they have much heavier coats and almost all, including females, have horns. The sheep are actually born with little stubs, which can make for a more challenging birth for the moms. Because of this there are strict laws requiring sheep farms to have at least one individual on hand 24/7 during the lambing season to assist any ewes who may experience difficulty giving birth.

Icelandic horses are a unique breed. Brought to the islands in the 9th and 10th centuries and left behind when the Norse people vacated the land, the horses have adapted well to their harsh environment. They are shorter and stockier than other breeds, with heavy coats and long bangs, and like the sheep are often allowed to graze freely during the summer months. Because of strict prohibitions on the importation of horses, the breed has remained pure. To ensure this continues to be true there are very strict policies regarding the exportation of them. Once an Icelandic horse leaves Iceland they are never allowed to return.

We continue to be impressed by the beauty of the Icelandic farms and were surprised at how quickly the landscape changed from lush farmland to volcanic rock. Our guide explained that none of the trees we saw growing are native to Iceland. All have been imported and nurtured in the hopes that they will expand and eventually return the area to the level of forestation it once enjoyed. So far so good.

We passed by Godafoss Waterfall, aka Waterfall of the Gods, closely connected to one of the most important events in Iceland’s history – its conversion from Norse paganism to Christianity. Legend has it that in the year 1000 Iceland’s legislative assembly was pressuring the Akureyri area to abandon its paganist ways and convert to Christianity. It was a hotly debated topic, with Chiefs in strong disagreement. The tribes agreed to look to the wisdom of one man, Thorgeir, the most respected of all the Chiefs. Whatever he decided they would abide by. After much thought Thorgeir decided the group would convert, but that individuals would be allowed to practice whichever religion they chose in the privacy of their own home. The public conversion meant the community would need to dispose of its pagan idols. The Chief decided the most respectful way to do this would be to toss the idols into the waterfall and let the river carry them out to the ocean. Thereafter the falls became known as the Waterfall of the Gods. We were a bit of a distance away and in a moving vehicle, but Ken did pretty good with his photosl

Our first stop was in a little town called Husavik. There was no agenda here; it was just an opportunity to go to the bathroom and explore on our own. The town is a popular jumping off point for whale watching and takes great pride in protecting its marine neighbors through education.

They have a nice little museum that pays tribute to the various species.

Following a delicious lunch, we continued on to an area known as Echo Rocks, remains of volcanic craters shaped and formed over the last 9,000 years by the water of melting glaciers in higher elevations. The area’s nickname comes from the sound of the river water below bouncing off of the caves and rock formations (and it’s considerably easier for these Americans to pronounce than its proper name of Hljodaklettar!).

Did you know that American astronauts came to Iceland to train for the first moon landing? It’s true! At the time it was believed that Iceland’s volcanic craters and landscape closely resembled that of the moon and would provide the perfect training ground for the astronauts to practice the activities they were expected to carry out on the moon. Nine of the twelve American men who would set foot on the moon between 1969 and 1972 would first train in Iceland. Among them was Neil Armstrong. The pictures below are from the Exploration Museum and include one of Neil Armstrong fishing. He befriended a local fisherman who gave him an Icelandic coin as a keepsake. It is said that Armstrong took that coin to the moon and later returned to Iceland and gave the man his coin back, mounted on a plaque commemorating the coin’s historic flight.

The highlight of the day was Dittifoss Falls, the second most powerful waterfall in all of Europe. Water in the falls flows directly from a glacier. This sediment-rich runoff gives the water its greyish white color. The falls are 330 feet wide and plunge straight down a depth of 144 feet. These combined features lead to a volume of 180,000 cubic feet of water going over the edge every minute. This is what has earned it its place as second most powerful.

Next to Dittifoss is a smaller, some might say prettier falls, Selfoss Falls. It falls from the same glacier so its water has the same attributes.

The falls were worth the trip, but the paths to the viewpoints weren’t for wimps. This was seriously uneven, rocky terrain! It was like navigating a moonscape! Our guide said that each hexicon-shaped rock we see is the top of a basalt column.

Our final stop of the day was at the Dimmuborgir Lava Formations. Dimmuborgir consists of massive collapsed lava tubes formed by a lava lake that flowed into the area during an eruption nearly 2,300 years ago. It is believed the lava flowed over a small lake. As it filled in the lake and made its way around surrounding wet land, the marsh area began to boil. Vapor rose through the lava forming lava pillars. As lava continued to flow towards lower ground the top crust collapsed, but hollow pillars of solidified lava remained creating the forms we see today.

It was a long day covering a lot of territory. We enjoyed seeing this (to us) new side of Iceland!

August 5, 2025

Welcome to Iceland, a country smaller than our own U.S. state of Kentucky, the least populated NATO country, and the only member without a standing Army. It is also a country that consistently receives high marks for international comparisons of quality of life, education, protection of civil liberties, government transparency and economic freedom. Maybe it has something to do with being the sixth wealthiest country in the European Union, or the provision of universal healthcare and free college education.

Today we visited Isafjordur, a town located just 18 miles from the Arctic Circle, situated in the crook of  Ísafjarðardjúp fjord. Known for its dramatic landscapes and many outdoor activities, Isafordur (pronounced ee-saf-yorder) is also a college town, offering a renowned advance program in coastal and marine management that admits only 20-40 students a year and boasts a graduating class of fewer than 80 students. Our guide is a student there and has come all the way from England to attend. The blue building in the picture below is the college.

Our ship was docked in a tiny little inlet at the base of the towering fjord. The wind was blowing mightily, as you can see by the flags in the picture below, making us very glad we chose to layer up in winter clothes, despite the 42-degree reading on the thermometer.

As we made our way to a beautiful waterfall our guide explained that despite its small size the town boasts a Division I soccer team that is currently a contender for the Icelandic national title. The town is also home to the region’s only high school. Surrounding villages may be as much as 2-4 hours away and Isafjordur is completely inaccessible during the winter, so it is a residential high school.

Ken was impressed that even in the Middle of Nowhere, Iceland Pam found a sign to read!

From here we traveled to a small fishing village. Mountains in the area can get as much as 90 feet of snow during the year, and the threat of avalanches is real. If you look closely at the photo below you can see what look like horizontal lines going across the mountain. Those are metal grates meant to lessen the threat of an avalanche, slowing the cascade of snow that would be traveling down the mountain. The tunnel is another way to by-pass the avalanche threat, providing 3-1/2 miles of safe passage through the mountain instead of around it.

Bolungarvik is a one of the oldest farming and fishing towns in Iceland, believed to have been settled during the 12th century (by a woman! according to the Icelandic Book of Settlement). The area has always enjoyed abundant fishing grounds, but in the 1990s the Icelandic government imposed strict fishing limits to protect the area from overfishing. Between these new regulations and the introduction of commercial fishing activities life dramatically changed for the people of Bolungarvik. Farming and fishing are still the primary industries, but methods have changed. Instead of going out in small fishing boats or trawlers, they now use nets like the ones in the pictures below (the round objects in the pictures)

The farms are mainly sheep farms. One of the things that hasn’t changed over time is the way Icelandic farmers graze their sheep. They mark them with a colored “earring,” and in the spring turn them loose to graze free range all over the mountainside. In the fall all of the farmers work together to find and herd the sheep into a communal pen where they sort them according to their ear tag and then have a big party. We were in the lowlands so we didn’t see any sheep, but the farms are beautiful.

During our visit we were treated to a short vocal performance at the local community theater. Turns out the singer is also a doctor in Reykjavik. She is here on holiday making a few extra dollars performing. Apparently it is quite common in Iceland for people to have multiple jobs.

A local fisherman, dressed in traditional garb, spoke to us about how fishing was done in the old days, and we checked out an outdoor museum of buildings that once housed the fishermen and provided work space for them.

The house below would have provided shelter for six fishermen, sleeping two men to a bunk to help them keep warm in a hut with no heat.

Sheds like this were used to dry the fish.

On the way back to Isafjordur our guide shared some fun facts about the area…

• Sheep farming is their number one industry; they have more sheep than people by a ratio of three to one
• The area receives the second least amount of sunshine of all the countries in the world
• Despite Iceland’s reputation for volcanoes, there is no geothermal activity in this area. They rely on hydro power from area waterfalls to provide electricity to over 7,000 people in the region and still experience blackouts in the middle of winter because of snowfall. Each town has its own backup generate for such occasions.
• Our cruise ship is taller than any building in the region
• It is illegal to live in one of the nearby towns between September and May because of avalanche danger.

Once back in town we had the opportunity to explore a bit on our own. We came across what the sign said is the most complete settlement of original houses still standing in all of Iceland. These homes were built in the 1800s. The area is marked by a town square with a rainbow road and seating benches that wear smiles. 🙂

Isafjordur is a beautiful town in a beautiful setting!

As we were preparing to board the ship, we looked up to see the rays of sun shining down on the surrounding fjord, as if to say, “Thanks for coming!”

August 4, 2025

Our itinerary tonight takes us from Nanortalik, Greenland to Isafjordur, Iceland, a straight shot across the Atlantic Ocean. Fortunately for us, Viking chose a more round-about route through Prince Christian Sound, affording us 60 miles of amazing views of fjords, glaciers and canyons.

Prince Christian Sound separates mainland Greenland from the Cape Farewell Archipelgo, a collection of islands opposite the mainland. Along the way we will pass multiple glaciers, waterfalls and mountain peaks reaching as high as 7,000′.

Interestingly, the U.S. military built a weather station at the entrance to the Sound during WW2 to provide weather data. It remained in use after the war and is still in use today.

The sound is a narrow open channel between two pieces of land. It differs from a fjord in that a fjord comes to a dead-end; the sound is open-ended. At its narrowest point it is only half a mile wide. The sharp peaks of the mountains suggest this is a relatively young land formation not yet dulled by the weathering that happens over the passage of time.

We learn that the icebergs we’ve been seeing up until this point most likely came from Disko Bay, a large bay on the western coast of Greenland. Each year multiple icebergs calve off the glaciers there and make their way to Iceberg Alley, a strip of water between Newfoundland and Canada so nick-named because of the volume of icebergs that float through there every year.

The valley we are passing through was formed thousands of years ago, the result of plate tectonic shifts and the movement of giant glaciers. Some of the glaciers we see today are contained within valleys; others, known as tidewater glaciers come all the way down to the shore.

Although the area appears to be completely uninhabited, we learn there is one settlement in the Sound. The Aappilattoq community was originally established in 1922. The population has been steadily dropping over the years; in 1994 they had a population of 204. In 2010 it was 132, and in 2024 they reported only 90 residents. The average age is 31.4 years. The only access is by sea or air; nonetheless, they have a well-stocked general store, a maintenance shop, fire department, school, church and helipad. Most flights into the area carry supplies. The Aappilattoq rely on seal hunting and cod fishing for their income. The snowy period lasts 9-1/2 months, with January having an average snowfall of 54.7″. It’s hard to imagine growing up here.

The ship slowed almost to a crawl as the Captain navigated a small ice field and determined which direction would be best in making his way between or around two icebergs inconveniently place in the middle of the waterway.

He ultimately opted to go around the left edge, avoiding both of them. Looking at the size of them we were glad he didn’t try to split the difference going between them. We’d heard that multiple cruise ships run aground in the fjords every year and can take days to get unstuck!

In one of the areas we sailed through there was a clear distinction in the color of the water.

That gray or murky, brown-colored water you see is water that is filled with pulverized rock that has fallen off the glacier into the water.

We were so thrilled to have a clear day to experience the beauty of this area. Our guide said he was here three days ago and there was zero sun, and folks did not get to see any of these amazing peaks and had only partial views of the glaciers. Lucky us!

August 3, 2025

Famous for its stunning natural landscapes and recognized as the southernmost city of Greenland, Nanortalik sits quietly atop an enormous island of granite, metavolcanic rock and metasediment. Its name literally means “the place of polar bears.” No, we did not see any during our visit, but in the winter months they live and hunt on the sea ice that forms around the island. Sea ice differs from icebergs in that it forms from frozen ocean water. generally floats on top of that water, and changes seasonally; icebergs are formed when large pieces of ice break off from glaciers, and are primarily composed of fresh water.

Winters in Nanortalik are reported to be long, freezing, snow and extremely windy. And it is mostly cloudy all the time. “Experience dramatic vistas and towering peaks as you disembark…” the description of our excursion promised. Uh….no, not at 7:30 a.m. anyway.

But as the day wore on the sun began to break through, highlighting the sharp contrast between the incredibly rocky terrain and its vibrant occupants. It remains largely unchanged from when it was originally established.

We visited its one and only church…

…and wandered its outdoor museum, reputed to be the most comprehensive local museum in all of Greenland. It contains a variety of buildings reflecting life as it once was, from the mortar making process used to build homes to radio equipment used in the sailing and fishing industries, to the homes people used to live in. I think the Inuit are not very tall people.

This building was used to house visiting sailors. That one room with the shelving and windows is their complete living quarters, and the room with the light was the bathroom.

The museum has a lookout tower you can climb for a better view…

Nanortalik is every bit as hilly as the town we visited yesterday, but around here you don’t climb a lot of stairs – you go boulder hopping!

The people of Nanortalik have tiny house living down to an art! Even their multiple family dwellings conserve space. There are four units in that last picture.

Nanortalik is known as the gateway to the Tasermiut Fjord, popular with mountaineers and rock climbers from around the world for its granite peaks. For most of our time in town the clouds kept us from seeing this beauty, but just as we were heading back to the ship, we were able to get a glimpse of it.

This is what they look like on a clear day, courtesy of the internet.

There is only one main road in the town, zero street signs and not a single stop sign in this town of about 1,000. To keep them from being completely overwhelmed by our presence, the ship staged our arrival into 34 separate groups with staggered arrival times. Ninety minutes was about all we needed to see what there was to see, so it worked out well. Then it was back to the ship to blog, do laundry and enjoy the rest of our day. Tomorrow is a sea day and then it’s on to Iceland!

August 2, 2025

When Pam was researching Qaqortoq (pronounced Kah-core-tok) in preparation for this cruise she was particularly struck by the promotional article that used the following pitch:

“Whether you’re interested in sampling local cuisine, viewing ancient Viking ruins, or paddling a kayak around icebergs…”

“Ken’s gonna love this, ” she thought. And as we made our approach to town, she was thinking that’s exactly what we were going to be doing. Traveling through Davis Strait we were greeted by fog, freezing temperatures (check out that “feels like” temperature), and literally surrounded by icebergs.

Fortunately, the town was more welcoming, with slightly warmer temperatures, picturesque hillsides dotted with colorful homes and a gurgling stream flowing through its center. Located in a hollow of a fjord south of town and surrounded by high mountains, Qaqortok is protected from fierce northerly and westerly winds and afforded a relatively mild climate. It was a balmy 42 degrees when we arrived.

We began our self-guided walking tour admiring some of the 40 works of art found throughout the town. Initiated by a local artist, these “sculptures” reflect the work of more than a dozen artists whose goal was to create an open-air gallery that reflects the local culture and history. If you look closely at the photos below, you’ll see images of a school of fish, the Inuit people, and a whale.

We continued along the main road, passing the town’s only church, its babbling brook and one of its main claims to fame, the oldest (and what was once the only) fountain in all of Greenland. Apparently, there’s not a huge call for fountains in sub-arctic climates.

The colorful homes found across all of Greenland are a hold-over from their colonial heritage. There was a time when a building’s color told you the profession of the person living there. Red = church or school; yellow = healthcare; blue = fishing; green = mechanic/electrician/telecommunications; and black = police. One of Qaqortoc’s main industries is fishing, so it’s no surprise you’ll find more blue buildings here than those of any other color.

This is the view looking out from the town…

The locals were kind enough to share their culture through musical performances offered free of charge in the church and community center.

We stopped by a local pottery shop, where we learned that they use clay found under the ice sheet for their creations.

We discovered the lake the stream that runs through town feeds into. Two local boys were entertaining the tourists by repeatedly jumping into what even they seemed to acknowledge was freezing cold water.

How would you like to have to climb these stairs to get to and from work or school every day? There are many like them all over town.

It’s a good thing most Qaqortoqians (?) speak English. We’re not so sure we could ever return the favor by learning to speak Greenlander. You try pronouncing this street name!

Having seen just about all there is to see in this little town of 3,000 in less than an hour, we were headed back to the ship when Pam spotted this pretty little guy swimming under the makeshift bridge leading to the tender. If you can get past the reflections of light on the water, you can see a good-size jelly fish just below the water’s surface.

It was after 10:00 p.m. when we were making our way back into the Atlantic Ocean and took these pictures.

This is why they call this the land of the midnight sun!

August 1, 2025

Today is our third day at sea. We were originally scheduled to have one day at sea after Halifax followed by a stop in Newfoundland, but one of the passengers had a medical emergency on the way there and because of the limited healthcare available in Newfoundland we had to return to Halifax so he could get the care he needed. It’s a long way from Canada to Greenland by ship, so we had to forego Newfoundland. Fortunately for us, we had the pleasure of visiting St. John’s, Newfoundland back in 2019, so we don’t feel like we totally missed out. Those of you curious about what you might have missed might want to check out our post from that visit: https://jodockworldtravel.com/2019/07/04/puffins-and-gannets-and-whales-oh-my-st-johns-newfoundland-cIvanada-06-29-2019/

So in lieu of a post on Newfoundland you’re going to get an introduction to Greenland, that geographic oxymoron, 80% of which is covered by an ice sheet second in size only to Antarctica. Two-thirds of Greenland lies within the Arctic Circle and it is only 500 miles from the North Pole. I wonder if Santa vacations here? As the least densely populated country in the world it would be a great place to get away from it all!

Greenland is the world’s largest island; most of its communities can be accessed only by water. Three times the state of Texas, with a total population of fewer than 60,000 people, it is actually 3.5 times smaller than Australia, but Australia’s classification as a continent takes it out of the running for biggest island. Does anyone know why Greenland is NOT a continent? We were curious about that ourselves, so we looked it up. While there are no “formal” guidelines on what it takes to be a continent there are several generally accepted qualifiers. First and foremost, you must have your very own tectonic plate. Greenland shares its North American tectonic plate with, several countries, including Canada and the U.S. A continent must also have its own distinct flora and fauna; the flora and fauna found on Greenland are unique, but many are found elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. Finally, a continent should have cultural characteristics not found anywhere else in the world. Greenland’s indigenous population, the Inuit, have also made their home in other Arctic regions, like Alaska and Canada.

Perhaps Greenland’s most well-known claim to fame is that it is the home of Erik the Red, famous for having named the Island and for being the father of Leif Erikson, credited with having been the first European to set foot on North America’s shores, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Erik the Red was originally born in Norway and earned his nickname because of his fiery red hair and beard. Some say it was also related to his somewhat…passionate… personality that led to some fairly violent tendencies that got him banned from both Norway and Iceland. It was during a banishment from Iceland that Erik came upon Greenland and decided to settle there. Upon the end of his exile, he returned home to recruit others to help him settle this new land. Hoping to make the idea of leaving their homeland more appealing, Erik named the new country Greenland. It worked! In 985 Erik the Red sailed with 25 ships from Iceland to Greenland to establish the colonies of Qaqortoq and Nuuk. We will be visiting one of those colonies tomorrow, Qaqortoq.

July 29, 2025

We woke this morning enveloped by a fog so thick we could barely see the rails of our stateroom balcony. The result of the interaction of warm, moist air from the St. Lawrence River mixing with the cooler waters of the Atlantic Ocean routinely creates such an environment, and we were wondering how it might affect our plans for the day when suddenly, as if the ship had simply sailed through a doorway, we found ourselves basking in the sunlight with Halifax directly in front of us, George’s Lighthouse standing tall to greet us.

We had a little time before our scheduled excursion, so we opted for a walk along the pier. We quickly discovered Halifax is a very colorful city – even the cargo ships and post office boxes add to the beauty!

The waterfront offers wonderful opportunities for reading a book, enjoying the shipping activities or hanging with friends, and pays tribute to its immigrant history through multiple statues.

After our walk we boarded the Hop On/Hop Off bus and toured around the city, learning of its proud maritime heritage and its storied history with world events. It was a little tough to get pictures through the bus window, so we opted to get little sustenance and retrace our path on foot.

The old city of Halifax has been referred to by some as a “veritable necropolis – city of the dead,” so it seems only appropriate we begin our tour with the Old Burying Grounds. It is estimated that over the course of Halifax’s early history nearly 20,000 bodies were buried in at least five separate cemeteries. Most have long-since been forgotten, rediscovered only when new building projects unearth the bones of those who came before, but some have been preserved in the Old Burying Grounds, an historic cemetery operated from 1749-1844. Although its grounds contained only 1,300 headstones, it is believed at least 12,000 individuals are buried here. One of the reasons for this belief is that only about 10% of the cemetery’s residents received headstones. Another is that back in the day family members shared gravesites, having their names added as they passed on. Another interesting note about the headstones in this cemetery is that for those individuals who died as the result of a murder, the headstone contains not only information about the deceased, but the name of the murderer as well. If you look closely at the headstone in the last image hear, you’ll see the remnants of this reference on the sixth line of text.

This cemetery is also famous for housing British Major General Robert Ross, Commander of the troops who occupied our nation’s capital during the War of 1812 and burned the White House to the ground. They did this in retaliation for the U.S. sending troops into Canada in response to Great Britain conscripting American sailors into their war against Napolean and in an effort to protect their recently won freedom from the British. Ross was killed by a sniper’s bullet a few weeks later. His body was returned to Halifax, and he was buried here with full military honors.

Not far from the Old Burying Grounds are remnants of the old jail, famous not for who it kept in, but who was able to get out. As you look at the photos below, the jail cells once occupied the arched areas just under the iron railings. They were dank, cramped, and reported to be extremely secure. To prove just how secure in 1902 Harry Houdini accepted a challenge by the local Police Chief to try to escape from one of the cells. To ensure there would be no shenanigans, the Chief insisted Houdini strip down to nothing but his briefs before entering the cell. Houdini happily complied, and having placed Houdini securely in his cell the Chief went back to work. Less than an hour later Houdini called from a local pub asking if he could please have his clothes back.

The jail sits just below the City’s Town Hall, whose north clock face is permanently set at 9:04:35 a.m., the moment when, on December 6, 1917, a tremendous explosion forever changed the city and its surrounding area. This was the moment a cargo ship loaded with nearly three tons of heavy explosives headed to the French war effort of WWI collided with a Norwegian war relief ship carrying supplies from the U.S. to Belgium. The blast was the largest human explosion in history at the time, and to date is second only to that of the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. The explosion created a tsunami on the opposite side of the bay in Dartmouth that wiped out an entire community of indigenous people who had lived there for thousands of generations. A total of 1,782 people were killed, and nearly 9,000 injured, many of them children blinded by the glare of the blast. All structures within a half mile radius were obliterated.

Halifax Public Gardens were designed by the same landscape architect responsible for Central Park in NYC.

In the heart of downtown Halifax, perched atop a strategic hill in Ft. George that overlooks the harbor stands the Old Town Clock, aka the Citadel Clock. It’s construction was commissioned to resolve the repeated tardiness of British soldiers stationed in Halifax. Much like today’s armed forces these soldiers greatly enjoyed and embraced their free time, but watches were not a thing and there weren’t any clocks to help them keep track of time. This clock can be seen from every vantage point in the city and along the harbor; the men no longer had an excuse for their tardiness! The last picture below is the view from the bottom of the steps in front of the clock.

Halifax’s geographic location has not only allowed it to play a significant role in the world’s military history and maritime developments, it has also placed it front and center during two major disasters. In 1912 Halifax was the nearest seaport with the necessary infrastructure (its railroad connections) to assist in the recovery of victims of the Titanic. It became the base for ships searching for and recovering the bodies of those who perished. The ships of Halifax recovered 328 passengers and crew. Many were buried at sea, but there are 150 buried here in Halifax.

A more recent disaster still fresh in many of our minds were the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. In response to the U.S. FAA National Operations Manager – on his very first day on the job, no less – closing U.S. air space and grounding all non-military, flights, the Canadian Transport Minister closed Canadian airports to all but military, humanitarian and police flights and gave instructions to allow any planes traveling across the Atlantic who had reached the halfway point or further to their destinations to land at the nearest Canadian airport. Planes began entering Canadian airspace at a rate of 1-2 planes per minute. Halifax handled 40 of those flights, containing more than 8,000 passengers. They were cleared through security, loaded onto buses and taken to nearby makeshift shelters, churches, hotels and individual homes. Planes were lined up nose-to-tail and wing-to-wing along miles of airport runways. Halifax is not the city featured in the play, “Come From Away” – that was the town of Gander – (Gander welcomed 38 planes with 6,579 passengers, doubling their population in a matter of hours), but its contribution was significant and America will be forever grateful.

We’ll end this blog on a happier note by recognizing Halifax standing as having more pubs per capita than any other Canadian province. We visited one of the most famous when we were here about six years ago as part of our World Cruise. Alexander Keith’s Brewery is the oldest in Halifax. They’ve been here more than 200 years, dating all the way back to when the troops stationed in Halifax were given a gallon of beer a day – for nutritional purposes only, you understand. Maybe that was the real reason for their tardiness! Here are some memories from our visit in 2019.

Cheers!

July 25-27, 2025

This weekend we are back in one of our favorite cities – New York! With a scheduled arrival time of 4:00 p.m. we were confident we would have no problem getting to our hotel and fitting in dinner before making a 7:00 p.m. performance of Hell’s Kitchen, a play loosely based on the life of Alicia Keys, who wrote all of the music for it. When our plane landed at JFK at 3:30, were sure of it! Clearly, we forgot where we were.

A thirty-minute jaunt around the entire airport to get to our gate, a nearly ninety-minute wait for luggage and a 60-minute taxi “sprint” to our hotel in Times Square left us less than twenty minutes to get checked in, deliver our multitude (never have we ever packed so many bags for a trip – not even when we traveled around the world for 180 days!) of bags to our room and get to the theater. Thankfully the theater was just across the alley from our hotel – even if Maps did make us walk completely around the block to get there. It was totally worth missing dinner. The talent in this production is Off. The. Charts. The play was fantastic!!

Saturday’s weather was perfect for a walk around town, and that’s just what we did. We hoofed it a mile from Times Square to the High Line, an elevated train track originally built thirty feet in the air in 1934 to reduce the danger posed by trains on the street level of Manhattan’s largest industrial district. Prior to the introduction of subway systems, the railroads would hire “West Side Cowboys” to wave flags in front of trains so they would stop and allow pedestrians to cross the street. Unfortunately, there were always those impatient folks who refused to abide by the Cowboys’ warnings and wait for the trains to stop. Instead, they’d sprint across the tracks, thinking themselves faster than a speeding train. Unfortunately, most of them were not and there were many fatalities. The High Line was meant to avoid such disasters. It carried its last train down its tracks in 1980 and was scheduled for demolition in the late 90’s when a community group banded together to repurpose it into a walking path.

Need a little cooling off after the trek? Check out this very creative sprinkler…If you look closely, you can see a little black thing with a red stripe around it on top of the “leg” – that’s the sprinkler head.

We left High Line to check out the Vessel, a really cool structure with 2500 steps spread across 154 flights of stairs and 80 landings. We walked up, down and around, but could only access one side because they’re doing maintenance on the other side.

After the Vessel we went 100 stories up to The Edge for magnificent views of a smoke-filled city (fires from Canada).

Some people do what’s called The City Climb at The Edge. They don hard hats, harness themselves to a railing and climb 161 nearly vertical stairs to lean off the literal edge of the building 1,200 feet above the ground. No, thank you, very much. Pam will jump out of a plane 18,000 feet up, but she’s not leaning off the side of this building! You’ll have to take the word of these folks from The Edge’s website about how great an experience it is.

Our final stop of the afternoon was the iconic Chelsea Market, considered one of the greatest indoor food and marketplaces in the world. You’ll find everything from meat to cheese to fish to a variety of unique retail offerings and no shortage of restaurants. The place was packed when we were there – we’re guessing there’s never a time when it isn’t – so it was tough to get pictures, but here’s an idea…

We capped our day off with dinner at the revolving restaurant atop the New York Marriot Marquis in Times Square and another Tony-Award-winning play, “The Purpose.”

Today, we boarded our Viking ship bound for colder waters. Ta-ta for now, New York!

Summer 2025

It’s another summer of travel for the senior Jodocks. After a quick stop in early June for our oldest grandson, Dillon’s, graduation…

…we met up with our oldest daughter, Jenn, and her husband, Michael, in Vegas for a Kenny Chesney concert at The Sphere. Our short weekend visit included stops at the gardens in the Bellagio, a stroll through the shops at Caesar’s, the mandatory visit to Bellagio’s fountains, an AMAZING concert at The Sphere and an homage to Freemont Street. If you haven’t yet experienced The Sphere, please believe us when we tell you it is a concert experience unlike anything else you have ever known. The Sphere has a 19,000 x 13,500-pixel 160 LED screen covering nearly 750 THOUSAND square feet providing what is purported to be the highest resolution in the world supported by 167 THOUSAND speakers. It is an immersive experience unlike anything we’ve ever known, and we were excited to share it with Jenn and Michael.

At weekend’s end, Jenn and Michael returned to life in Florida while Ken, Pam and Sophie continued west to Washington. We reconnected with our PacNW friends and family before embarking on a 7-day Mediterranean cruise with 12 of our 14 kids and grandkids (shout out to Jenn and Marcos Jodock who were unable to join us due to a last-minute emergency – insert crying emoji). Our first stop was Barcelona, where we enjoyed lots of fun family time, a rooftop concert, stops by the Mercat de la Boqueria (famous Barcelona marketplace), and visits to Sagrada Familia and Park Goell.

We had individual adventures in Mallorca, Marseille, and Florence…

…and then reconnected as a group for a private tour of Vatican City, The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. The artwork is amazing. Every inch of wall and ceiling is covered in masterpieces of murals by Michaelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael among others. Here is a small sample.

Our final stop was Pompeii. We visited their Colosseum and a former (very grand) home, where the murals that decorated the walls are still visible…

There was also lots of fun on the ship…karaoke, trivia, Johnny Rocket shakes, celebrations of Dillon’s graduation, Bella’s 17th birthday, and Pam and Ken’s 20th anniversary. It was a fun week full of wonderful memories (we will never forget the wind in Marseille!).

And now, after a two-week break hanging out with Sophie and Ken’s brothers and sisters and their families, we’re off to explore some new parts of the world for us. On July 25th we’re headed to New York, where we will board the Viking Neptune for a journey through Canada, Greenland, Iceland and Norway. We hope you’ll come along!

December 27-31, 2024

Not quite 36 hours after leaving Johannesburg, South Africa we arrived safe and sound in Orlando, FL. We thoroughly enjoyed the first-class travel arranged by Regent, and greatly appreciated the fully appointed executive lounges we were able to access during our long layovers.

Air Canada’s First-Class digs were without doubt our favorite!

After taking Saturday off to catch up on much-needed sleep, Ken went golfing Sunday morning with our friend, Bill Owen and his son, Russ, and Aunt Dori and Pam met Jenn for brunch at a fun little New Orleans restaurant, Tibby’s.

We’re sad to say we did not think to memorialize these events in pictures, but we did capture one of Aunt Dori at dinner that night. We joined Bill and Mindy Owen and their son, Russ for dinner at our favorite Orlando steak house, Charley’s. The service is always top-notch, and the food can’t be beat. Our wait staff “mistakenly” thought it was Aunt Dori’s 39th birthday.

And now it’s December 31st and time to return to “real” life…

Aunt Dori has boarded her flight home, Pam is catching up on mail and finances and Ken is back to taking the neighbors’ money at the local Poker game.

It’s been a wonderful end to 2024. Thank you for joining us on our African Adventure!

December 25, 2024

Another perfect morning here in Botswana, and none of us is anxious to leave.  We’re wondering why we can’t just fly home from here tomorrow instead of Johannesburg.  The staff have been fantastic, the food is delicious, and the location is picture perfect.

Pam, Ken, and Karen soak up as much of the beautiful backyard slope as we can while Aunt Dori finishes up her packing. An impala has breached security and a couple of kudu graze outside the fence adding to the ambiance. Before we know it, it’s time to say good-bye to the wonderful staff at Chobe Chilwero and head to the airport.

It’s less than a ten-minute drive to the Kasane International Airport. Aunt Dori is shocked there could be an international airport smaller than her own Dayton Airport, but it is.  When we check in our ticket says we’re leaving out of Gate 4, but when we look at the leader board it shows every single flight leaving out of Gate 6.

Not to worry!  We clear securityand discover all of the gates are the same exact place anyway!  There are no agent counters, no coffee shops, no TV monitors; just an old vending machine that doesn’t take credit cards.  It’s very “Joe Vs. the Volano-“esque.

When the plane arrives, there is no formal announcement, no boarding call, no lining up by zones.  Everyone in the place just quietly gets up, makes their way to the door and quietly walk the tarmac to find their seat on the plane.  You can see what kind of chaos that must have created! Being the good sheep we are, we follow suit.  There’s just the slightest amount of anxiety about what awaits us.  A storm has been brewing while we waited, the pilot warns of a “rough” ride and worse weather in Johannesburg, we’re told someone will meet us there, but we have no idea who or where.  We’re hoping the luggage we left behind will find us, but the confusion of the hotel staff when we left it has not instilled confidence, and we’re very curious about our Christmas dinner – one document says we’ll be treated to something special; another says we’re on our own.

Paul meets us on the other side of baggage claim, grabs a luggage trolly and escorts across the airport’s driveway to the Intercontinental Hotel situated on the other side.  Check-in is a breeze, but there is initial confusion over our bags and dinner.  Paul doesn’t believe the bags have been delivered and when we express concern that they need to find us before our planes leave tomorrow, Paul has the not-so-good sense to tell us “Good luck getting them delivered today, and on Christmas no less!” He also knows nothing about our dinner arrangements.  After some back and forth he agrees to call Regence (the cruise company responsible for our bags) and Karen and I check our “Find My” app to see where the bag tags we’ve inserted in our suitcases say they are.  

Hmmm…interesting…both of our apps say our bags are with us.  This tells us they are somewhere in this building.  We share the news with a clearly flustered Paul who checks with the Porter who knows exactly where our bags are.  We are reunited minutes later.  Dinner’s a different story.  Paul gets through to Regence, but is speaking completely incoherent sentences (he blames it on a chiropractic treatment he received recently) and says he can’t understand a thing the person on the other end of the line is saying, so he hands the phone to Pam.  The Regence rep is certain plans have been made for us.  He will check with his colleague and get back to the hotel and they will let us know where to be when.

When the clock is inching towards 6:30 p.m. and there’s still no word, Pam calls downstairs.  Oh yea!, they say, you’re dining with us tonight.  Just call down and make a reservation. Not what we’d hoped for or expected on this Christmas night, but ok.  And it ended up being one of the best meals of the trip.

Ken ordered Ostrich (he’s also had impala and kudu this week), the hotel provided party favors and party hats, and a good time was had by all. No one leaves until late tomorrow night, so we’re all looking forward to sleeping in and taking our time getting out of here.

December 24, 2024

This will be our last full day in Botswana.  Tomorrow morning we will pack up and head to Johannesburg in preparation for our return flight home.

We begin with an early morning game drive, which Karen elects to skip.  That comfy bed and deep tub were just calling her name this morning.  This time when Kux asks what we want to see Aunt Dori immediately replies, “Lions!” 

“Lions it is!” Kux said, and off we went!

It took an hour-and-a-half to find them, but once again Kux did not disappoint.

We also saw more impala and baboons and elephants and, off in the distance, hippos and water buffalo. We even saw a warthog and another leopard tortoise. But after the lions, this guy sitting on the side of the road. He’s pretty darn proud of himself, we gotta say.

We returned to the lodge for a scrumptious lunch and a little down time before meeting Kux for a sunset boat ride on the Chobe.  Just getting to the boat was an adventure.  This is what passes for a road around here.  Thank goodness we’re here in the dry season – We’d hate to try this in the rainy season! 

As we were approaching the boat launch area we saw some kudu in the area to our right.  This was an animal Aunt Dori had read about but never seen and it had been on her Africa “bucket list.” The kudu kept hiding behind bushes and Ken couldn’t get a clear picture.  Without a word of warning, Kux made a sharp 90-degree turn that took us off road and behind the kudu.  We just about lost Karen on that one!  But it got the desired results; Ken now had a straight-on shot of the does.

It was a perfect night for sunset on the river.  The temperatures were mild, and the water was like glass.  In the hours before our ride there was cloud cover and the skies were rumbling, and we wondered if we might get wet.  Our luck held and we encountered crocodiles, the hippos and buffalo we’d seen earlier in the day and the elephants enjoying their evening bath.

We even saw more giraffe.  Ken gave it his best effort, but they were just too far away for good pictures.

It was a wonderful way to end what have been the best four days of this entire trip.

December 23, 2024 (Part II)

It’s about a 30-minute drive from the Victoria Falls Lodge to the Zimbabwe-Botswana border.  We are advised that pictures are not allowed.  When we arrive, our luggage will be transferred to our new escort’s rig while we are getting our passports stamped.  It all goes very smoothly.  We step outside ready to climb into the new van only to discover…

It’s not a van; it’s an open-air jeep!  Our driver insists that Aunt Dori should sit in the front seat next to him (here she goes again!!).  The rest of us haul ourselves up into the back while our luggage is thrown into the furthest seats.

We’ve been told that when we cross into Botswana, we’ll need to stop to treat our shoes for the Monkey Pox virus.  All of us have multiple pairs of shoes, but we’re told to just have the pair we’re wearing and one additional pair handy when we cross the border.  We’re instructed to exit the vehicle with just the shoes we’re wearing, walk through the bleach infused water, pass through the passport check, and then make our way to Passport Control, where we may have to answer a few questions before getting our passports stamped and moving on.  Our driver, Mike, tells Aunt Dori to stay in the vehicle while he takes care of her shoes.  Talk about a princess!!  When the rest of us get to the Passport Control building Mike brings us water and shares that he has told Aunt Dori not to leave the vehicle or talk to anyone.  He gives us her passport to be stamped and tells us what to say if anyone asks.  Turns out Mike was raised by his grandmother and has a very high regard for “older” women.  We get through Passport Control without incident – and Aunt Dori never leaves the vehicle or speaks to anyone.  Well done!  Until…

There’s one more check point to clear before we can actually enter Botswana.  This is where our second pair of shoes is put through the bleach solution.  As Mike is preparing to move on, the guard asks him to open one of the suitcases…and then another…and then another…Ken is the designated suitcase opener, rifling through each bag for the guard to see what is there.  Each additional pair of shoes is removed and put through the solution.  We’re all holding our breath waiting for them to demand some high monetary fine or refuse us entry into the country.  Fortunately, neither happens, and we’re eventually sent on our much-relieved way.

After a short distance on the paved road, Mike slows down and turns off onto a dirt road.  Before long he announces we are just seven minutes from our lodge.  Seven minutes?  Really?  This is NOTHING here…where are you taking us???

We approach an electric fence with barbed wire; the gate opens automatically, and we pass through.  We’re waiting, waiting…and then we see it.  Wow!!!

We are greeted by staff waving and singing us a welcome song, handing out hot towels and ushering us in to our private briefing.

During the briefing, we receive delicious honey-ginger refreshments, get the lay of the land and meet the man who will be our guide for the remainder of our time here, Kux.  Our breath is taking away at the beauty before us.

Sanctuary Chobe Chilwero Lodge is located on the edge of Chobe National Park on a hill overlooking the Chobe River, with views of islands, floodplains and the Namibian countryside on the opposite bank.  It’s vibe is total chill.

After our briefing we are shown to our rooms (read “houses”).  Aunt Dori has her own one-bedroom chateau; Ken and Pam find themselves in an enormous two-bedroom.  A leisurely lunch and it was off on our first game drive.

Kux asked what we wanted to see, and Aunt Dori did not hesitate:  giraffes!  “I’ve seen enough elephants!” she told him.  Unfortunate for Kux because elephants are the one thing he’s certain he can deliver.  Established in 1967 Chobe has the highest concentration of elephants in all of Africa, an estimated 50,000 of them across its 4,300-mile area.  But Kux did not disappoint.  He found Aunt Dori her giraffes and a whole lot more!

There were lots and lots and LOTS of impalas. There were elephants of all genders and sizes, including a baby about 2 months old who could barely get his mom to stand still long enough for him (her?) to nurse. It was so cute! None of us had ever seen elephants frolic in the mud like these guys did and it was so fun watching them rolling around in wrestling matches, vying for the best spot and just so thoroughly enjoying themselves.

We saw a “mob” of mongoose, crocodiles, a leopard tortoise…

…the largest troop of baboons we’d ever seen in our lives. They were headed down to the river for a drink, and they just kept coming and coming and coming. A baboon troop can have as few as 5 members or as many as 250-300, with the average troop size being around 50. We’re thinking this troop may have had closer to that 250 number. There were a LOT! It was interesting to see how they broke into groups, with different baboons taking responsibility for making sure no one got left behind.

And, of course, the giraffes. There were only two, but they were there!

We were required to be out of the park no later than 7:00 p.m. and after taking time during the drive to be sure we saw as much as possible, Kux was now hoofing it to be sure we were out on time.  We got back to the Lodge just in time to get our salad course in before the show started – more traditional music and dance, but on a much smaller scale than the night before.  This time Karen and Pam got in on the action.

Afterwards there was a traditional African BBQ around the firepit. It was beautiful and serene and delicious…

But bugs in Africa are no joke!  There were roaches in Zimbabwe large enough to carry your house away, and Botswana has these enormous black beetles that turn into kamikaze jets when they fly.  Giant moths were eager to share our dinner during the bar-b-q.

Following dinner, we were all escorted back to our rooms.  The  electric fence surrounding the property is meant to keep wild animals out, but apparently it is no match for the wily and seriously aggressive Honey Badger who will all but eat you alive if you cross his path, or the occasional leopard that may jump the fence in pursuit of its prey, or the poisonous snakes that may be slithering on the ground…hey, wait a minute. This sounds just like Michael’s (Pam and Ken’s son-in-law) description of Florida, where everything wants to hurt you, kill you or eat you. No wonder we’re so at home here!

December 23, 2024

For Ken today is what this trip has been all about – everything else has just been dressing.  Having seen Niagara and Iguazu Falls he is anxious to see how Victoria Falls stacks up.  The three are often compared to one another and each has its own unique characteristic that makes it stand out.

Aunt Dori was not only up and moving at the crack of dawn today, she managed the not quite two-mile, 16 viewing points hike around the up-and-down, often uneven, twisty-turny path along the edge of the Falls like a champ! 

Located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia that is the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls was one of the original Seven Wonders of the World.  Named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1989, it now “belongs” to all the people of the world.  The local people, the Tonga, gave it its original name of Mosi-oa-Tunya, “Smoke that Thunders,” who, according to our guide, believed that Spirits inhabited the waterfall, and that they became so angry at something man did that they separated the earth and caused a great break in the land.  Fearful that it could happen again, they had an annual tradition of sacrificing a young girl each year to appease them.  The girl would be chosen at random and made to jump of the edge of the falls into the abyss below.  There are many rituals and traditions that carry forward to today, but thankfully this is not one of them!

The Falls are believed to be more than 150 million years old, and they were certainly well-known to Tonga, but it was the Scottish explorer, David Livingstone who brought them to the attention of the rest of the world.  In 1855 he is said to have crossed the Zambezi River in a dug-out canoe in an area just above the falls.  He camped there overnight and when he woke in the morning he walked to the water’s edge, looked over and saw the Falls for the first time.  Today people on the Zambia side of the Falls can purchase excursions to this same site where they will enjoy a five-star meal and have the opportunity to walk across and swim in the area of the Falls known as the Devil’s Pool.  Some folks were doing it when we were there.  But don’t get the idea it’s safe.  In 2009 an experienced guide lost his life rescuing a tourist in such a group who got stranded on a rock and couldn’t make it back to shore because of the rushing currant.  The guide managed to get the man to safety, but just as he did, he lost his footing, and the current carried him over the edge of the falls.

The granite in this area is so close to the surface it’s difficult for tall trees to put roots down far enough to keep them stable.  They often topple over under their own height/weight, like the ones pictured below.  At first glance the tree in the first picture appears to be a host for a bunch of opportunistic other trees, but it’s actually all one tree.  After the tree fell it continued to grow.  What might have been branches had the tree remained standing have become more like baby trees instead.  The second tree pictured below is a Strangled Fig.  It fell in a way that Aunt Dori didn’t even have to bend to get under it!

The view from every stop is breathtaking.

The final stop on the path provides a view of the bridge we mentioned in yesterday’s post.  Built in 1905 over a period of fourteen months, the bridge connects Zimbabwe to Zambia and provides a trade route for the two countries.  For more than 50 years after its construction it carried passenger and freight trains across its tracks.  More recently age and maintenance have caused the tracks to be closed, but vehicular and pedestrian traffic continue to use the bridge.  We saw several Zambian bicyclists on our way here this morning, heading into town walking their bikes loaded down with produce and other wares to sell at roadside stands.  At the end of the day, they’ll return home with their money and left over product and do it all again tomorrow.

The folks of Zambia are born capitalists – and risk-takers!  They offer bungie jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge (again, not as safe as you might think…one potential customer reportedly asked the guide what they would do if the rope broke.  His response?  Replace it!  She decided not to take the chance.  A 22-year-old woman from Australia found out first-hand what would happen.  In 2011 the cord did snap when she was on it, sending her plunging 70-plus feet into crocodile-infested waters.  She survived, anxious to try again.), and rappelling off the side of cliff of the viewing point.  When we looked over the side of the gorge, we saw a group of kayakers preparing to put in on the Zambia side of the river to experience the Class V rapids a little further downstream.

Aunt Dori was thrilled to have completed the walk – until she realized she wasn’t done yet.  She still had to walk back!  At one point she asked our guide how much further it would be.  He told her about 15 minutes.  Fifteen minutes later she asked again, “How much time now?”

“About 15 minutes,” he replied.

“Fifteen minutes?!” an exasperated Aunt Dori shouted.  “That’s what you said last time!  You need to learn how to tell time!”

Luckily, the return trip was as pretty as the getting there walk had been.

In the picture below – taken in front of the entry to Victoria Falls – you can see how close we are to the Zimbabwe side of the border with Zambia. The workmanship on the handrail of the steps leading to the park entrance is impressive.

We returned to our hotel with just enough time to clean up before heading to the Botswana border, where our current guide will be turning us over to yet another guide.  More about that in our next post!

December 22, 2024

Following breakfast at the hotel our post-cruise group of four gathered in the hotel lobby for transfer to the airport for our flight to Zimbabwe and a visit to Victoria Falls. We were surprised yesterday when there were only four of us on the city tour and thought perhaps Regent had divided us into smaller groups to get us to the hotel, but it turns out we four are it.  Ironically our fourth musketeer is a fellow “12”, residing in Kirkland, WA!

We flew from Cape Town to the Victoria Falls International Airport in Zimbabwe.  By the time we got through customs and purchased our Visas, our luggage had already arrived at the carrousel.  Our guide met us outside baggage claim and swiftly delivered us to our new digs. 

And what digs they are!

The Victoria Falls Hotel was built in 1904 to accommodate passengers on the newly built National Railway of Zimbabwe.  It is still owned by National Railway and over the years has played hosts to royalty and been the site of a variety of pivotal political meetings.  The grounds are absolutely gorgeous – and teeming with baboons!  An electric fence surrounds the property, an effort to keep other wildlife out.

As you walk the pathways it’s easy to imagine women in their Victorian gowns sashaying down the walks with their parasols to protect them from the sun’s rays or floating down the stairs on their way to a formal dinner.  Things are far less pretentious now, but the décor and furnishings continue to reflect a bygone era of elegance. The hotel boasts multiple seating areas, three restaurants, a bar, a beauty salon, a spa and a chapel.

First time we’ve ever found this in our hotel bathroom…

From the back porch area, you can see the bridge that is home to the railway, built in support of Cecil John Rhodes’ vision for a railway system from Cape Town to Cairo.  It was impossible to accomplish this without building a bridge across the great Zambezi River.  Rhodes never visited the Falls and died before construction on the bridge even began, but he was familiar enough with it to insist that the bridge be built in a place that would ensure spray from the Falls would land on the passing trains. Mission accomplished!

After settling in and enjoying an impressive lunch we embarked on a sunset river cruise down the Zambezi River.  The Zambezi is the fourth largest river in Africa, and the longest east-flowing one.  Rising from a natural spring in Zimbabwe, it flows through eastern Angola, along the northeast border of Namibia, the border of Botswana, and along the border between Zambia and Mozambique where it empties into the Indian Ocean.

We were treated to snacks and beverages as we trolled the river hoping for wildlife sightings.  We could see the mist from the Falls.

It didn’t take long for the wildlife to appear. What a treat! Hippos, elephants, crocodiles…it was great! (BTW, those “bumps” in the last picture below are hippos.)

We arrived back at the hotel just in time for a traditional bar-b-q and performance of traditional song and dance.  The performers were incredibly energetic and engaging.  At what initially appeared to be the end of the show Aunt Dori was asked if she’d like to take some pictures with the group.  She enthusiastically agreed and found herself front and center performing with them instead, kicking and jumping and waiving her arms. It wasn’t what she expected, but she was a trooper! We’ve got the video to prove it but not many “still” photos.

She finally returned to the table 20 minutes later, exhausted but laughing.  She may not be able to move tomorrow, but she sure had fun tonight!

December 21, 2022

Beautiful views and mostly clear skies greeted us as we pulled into Cape
Town this morning around 6:00 a.m., an early indication of how different this experience of Cape Town would be from our initial introduction to it a little over two weeks ago.  Today’s guide has lived his entire 53 years here and is well-acquainted with its rich and turbulent history.  Left on his own to determine our itinerary, he did a wonderful job of blending past and present, reflecting on the good that has come from the city’s European influences without negating the challenges of colonization and apartheid.

We drove past numerous historical landmarks and points of interest, but time limited the number of actual stops we could make.  Here are some of the highlights…

Built in the style of an ancient Greek temple, Rhodes Memorial on what was once his favorite spot on his vast estate, the monument is a tribute to Cecil John Rhodes, an influential and controversial English-born South African who became an extremely successful businessman, influential politician, and eventually Prime Minister of the British Cape Colony.  He was a mining magnate who founded DeBeers Diamond Company (today considered by many to be the world’s leading diamond company) and played a significant role in the colonization of Africa.

Upon his death Rhodes donated most of his estate to the nation of South Africa, portions of which became home to the University of Cape Town’s Upper Campus and the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. 

Similar to the controversy over historic confederate figure statues in the U.S., there is a movement afoot to remove memorials like this one across South Africa that are viewed as glossing over the damage of colonization and apartheid by glorifying those behind this history.  Our guide’s perspective is that while a lot of damage was done by colonization and apartheid, there are also some positive things, and they are part of Africa and South Africa’s history; these countries would not be what they are today without these influences.

The site offers spectacular views of the city below, but the wind just about blew Aunt Dori over!

Pam was curious about the statue hidden behind the columns at the top of the stairs, and Ken kindly investigated to satisfy her curiosity.

The statue of Rhodes on horseback faces NE towards Cairo, an homage to Rhodes’ efforts to create a railway linking the Western Cape to Cairo, a dream never realized.

We drove past Cape Town’s version of a Farmer’s Market, a statue of Nelson Mandella on the balcony of City Hall, the site where he gave his first public speech after his release from prison on February 11, 1990, and Groote Shuur Hospital, where Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first human heart transplant in December 1967.  Today the hospital is viewed as a world-class training hospital, far beyond the reach of most of the common people who receive their care from public clinics and hospitals with far lower standards. 

We also drove past the University of Cape Town,  Established in 1927, it is the oldest educational facility in South Africa.  Originally established as a boys-only school, it began accepting females in 1887.  Today a leading teaching and research institution, the government proudly touts its availability to all South Africans, but in truth it is far out of reach for many of even the brightest of those of tribal descent.  Its annual tuition of roughly $1500/year may sound incredibly cheap to Americans, but in a land where unemployment and poverty are high and many, like our tour guide, work two to three jobs to make a combined income of about $1,000/month just to cover day-to-day expenses, it’s a lot.  Financial assistance is available, but not widely publicized and difficult to access.  Its student body is predominantly white, with international students accounting for a large portion of enrollment.

We drove through District Six, a former inner-city residential area populated by people of color.  In 1966, the apartheid government announced that the area would be razed to make room for a white-only neighborhood.  They declared it a slum, fit only for clearance.  They said it was crime-ridden and dangerous, full of immoral activities like gambling, drinking and prostitution.  More than 60,000 non-white residents were forcibly removed.  The vision of a whites-only neighborhood was never realized, and most of the land has been left barren and unoccupied.  Post-apartheid the neighborhood has been reopened to Blacks and “coloreds” (people of mixed race), and the government said it would help previous residents reclaim their land.  Sounds good on paper, but the reality is that 30 years had passed between eviction and the end of apartheid; many of the original residents had passed.  It’s been nearly 60 years now, and finding the required documentation to prove prior residency is not easy.  The government can say it’s doing something to benefit the people, but when you make it so difficult to access the help are you really helping?

Our next stop was Signal Hill.  Sitting high above the harbor, Signal Hill was once the site where flags were used to communicate weather warnings and anchor instructions to ships to help them prepare for stormy conditions.  It is also where the “Noon Gun” was located.  At exactly 1:00 p.m. Cape Mean Time a gun would sound, helping ships check their maritime chronometers.  This practice continued until 1934.  One last function of the guns was to notify the public when a ship was in trouble.  When the look-out on the hill saw a ship in distress he would fire the guns three times; the Battery responding to the emergency would fire one shot in return to let the lookout know they were on it.

We had a motorcycle escort to the top of the hill.

It was super windy, but great views!

Our final stop before checking into the hotel was Bo-Kaap (translation:  “Above the Cape”), the historical center for the Cape Muslim community, descendants of enslaved Muslims from different parts of the world.  According to local legend all of the area’s buildings were once white.  When the slaves were freed in 1834, they celebrated by painting everything in bright colors (the internet begs to differ, saying the colors began appearing in the 2000’s).  It is the oldest surviving residential neighborhood in Cape Town, and the largest concentration of pre-1850 architecture.

This pig constructed entirely of crushed Nescafe coffee pods is indicative of the culturally diverse community’s quirky personality.

We were almost sad when this wonderful – and completely opposite approach to our introduction to the city – tour ended – until we saw where we would be staying.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront Hotel is a 1904 warehouse turned luxury hotel located in the beautiful Victoria Wharf.  Created in 1992, the Wharf was designed to be a premier tourist destination for local and international visitors.  It contains leading retail, commercial, residential and marine spaces with extensive dining, leisure and entertainment facilities.  We had an enjoyable afternoon exploring the shops and the area and enjoyed our best meal yet at one of the restaurants directly on the water.

It was a wonderful day that completely changed our opinion of Cape Town.  It is far from perfect; there’s no denying the social issues and economic disparity that continue to plague this beautiful town, but after today we’ve fallen in love with its physical attributes, friendly people and diverse offerings.

December 20, 2024

After 14 days, six ports of call, and 3,665 nautical miles, it’s time to bid our ship a fond farewell. We spent the afternoon packing, enjoyed our last dinner in the main dining room and spent our evening saying good-bye to all of Aunt Dori’s boyfriends and our favorite crew members, and had one last serving of our favorite drinks (Pam: chocolate martini; Ken and Aunt Dori: Brandi Alexander made with vanilla ice-cream instead of heavy cream – yummm!).

Good-bye tiny suite!

Goodbye Regent Seven Seas Splendor!

Tomorrow it’s back to Cape Town and on to Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls and Botswana’s Chobe National Park for a series of three game drives.

December 20, 2024

What?  An ostrich what?  Whoever heard of going on a safari to see ostriches???  But that’s exactly what we did!  Mossel (aka Mussel) Bay is without doubt the nicest port we’ve visited, and this was definitely the most enjoyable tour of our cruise thus far.  The ship is unable to dock in the port, so we were ferried from the ship to land in the Regent life boats. We’ve come a long way from the Titanic life boats!

Mossel is basically a resort town; the majority of its homes lay unoccupied most of the year, but on days like this (the Friday before Christmas, the beginning of a long holiday), the population soars from a quiet 70,000 to a more robust 300,000, many of whom are inlanders anxious to feel the silky soft sand of Mossel’s beautiful beaches between their toes and experience what is said be a climate second only to Hawaii.

There is not much industry here (a Nestle factory that produces powdered milk is the main employer), and no public transportation.  As with other cities we’ve visited people rely mainly on taxis to get around.  Each has an assigned route from which they are not supposed to deviate, but…what are rules, anyway, but glorified suggestions?  A high number of taxis are converted utility vehicles not authorized to carry individuals and those that are passenger vans have been known to fit 34 people in a van designed for 16; as many as 48 in one meant for  22.  Not  lot of elbow room in there.  It is most difficult for those in rural areas to get around.  There’s no uber here, no number to call when you need a ride.  Instead, they stand by the side of the road and wait for a taxi to come by.  If they can wave one down the taxi may not be going where they need to go.  On our way to the safari, we passed a family on the road.  The woman stood in the middle of the road on one side with a baby on her hip and a toddler at her feet while the man stood in the middle of the other side waiving money in the air, trying to get our bus to stop.  Our guide said they might repeat this process for days before they get their ride.

Crime is also high here.  All of the housing communities, businesses, and even gardens are surrounded by high walls topped with Constantine wire or electric fences.

The Ostrich Safari is located in Oudtshoorn, on the other side of the Oteniqua Mountains.  Although the area appears lush and green it actually receives very little rainfall.  Instead, the vegetation receives its moisture from the fog/light mist created when the cold air from the Oudtshoorn side of the mountain meets the cold are from the Mossel Bay side.  It’s not enough water to support vegetable crops, though, so people mostly raise dairy cow.

The road we traveled today took us through the Outeniqua Mountains and is considered a bit dangerous.  There are nearly 10,000 deaths a year, more than half of them pedestrian.  You can see in the picture below the road has many tight curves, and the speed limit is largely ignored (more annoying guidelines).  The shoulders are narrow, but we passed several people walking them.  It’s easy to see how fatalities may happen.

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Ostriches can be traced as far back as 40 to 60 million years. They migrated south across Africa approximately one million years ago, together with many of the larger mammals, and are found throughout the entire continent of Africa.

Ostrich feathers were exported from South Africa as early as 1859 and it’s interesting to note that during the ten years preceding 1914, Ostrich Feathers ranked fourth to gold, wool and diamonds in the value of exports from South Africa.  During this feather boom there was said to be nearly 80,000 ostriches on farms in the country; by 1914 the number had grown to close to a million. But thanks to WWI, the industry collapsed overnight.

The Safari Ostrich Show Farm is the first show farm in South Africa where the Kenyan Red and Zimbabwe Blue ostriches as well as the local South African breed can be viewed.  It is a private establishment owned by two families, and houses about 2500 birds.  We had an opportunity to feed the birds, tour the park, and learn more about how the birds are used today.

It’s difficult to appreciate the beauty of ostrich feathers without seeing them close up.   The Farm has four breeds of ostriches, as well as a small group of Emus kept just for show.  Our tour began with a walk past some of the pens where the birds are kept.  They are very aggressive eaters, so we were advised to not let them eat out of our hands.  Instead, we were to feed them from the plastic containers we had been given while holding on to it with both hands.

In their natural environment ostriches may lay 12-18 eggs a season, one at a time.  After she lays the first egg, she knows that her womb is empty, and she will mate again; she lays that egg with the first one and the process continues every 2-3 days until she is no longer fertile.  Mom and dad share nesting responsibilities, with mom taking day duty and dad serving nights.  The eggs are usually laid out in the open in soft sand (not a traditional nest) so that when mom needs a stretch or potty break the sun can keep “cooking” the chicks.  Only about two-thirds of the eggs that are laid will produce chicks. The eggs weigh about three pounds, but the chicks themselves only weigh about two pounds at birth and stand about ten inches tall.

After a short walk we boarded a little “train” that drove us around the park. We were introduced to the South African breed first, the Outdshoorn Ostrich.  Males have black bodies; females are gray.  During mating season, when a male is ready to mate, his beak and front legs turn a deep red.  Guess what the mood was when we were there?

Ostriches can grow to be as tall as nine feet and weigh up to 320 pounds.  They grow at a rate of about 6-12 inches per month, so they’re all taller than Aunt Dori before they’re even six months old!

Nearly every part of the bird can be marketed; there are, of course, the feathers, and then there are the hide, the meat, and the eggs. One ostrich egg is the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs, and it takes one hour to boil!!! 

There are farms that raise Ostriches for their eggs or for slaughter, but the farm we visited only harvests their feathers and eggs that fail to fertilize.  Every few days they collect an egg or two from the nests.  They place them under an x-ray and if there is an embryo they place them in an incubator to finish growing.  If the egg has not been fertilized, they sell it to a company that will make souvenirs from it.

Ostriches lose their feathers twice a year, once in the spring and again in the autumn.  Staff at the farm collect the feathers and they are sold to companies that will turn them into commercial products, like feather dusters.

Our visit to the farm was much more interesting and entertaining than any of us were expected, and we were treated to fabulous scenery coming and going.  On the way back to the ship we stopped at Robinson Pass, over 2700 feet in elevation for a photo op.

Then it was back to our lifeboats and the ship to finish packing for tomorrow’s departure and prepare for our last night on the ship.

December 18, 2024

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi (say that three times fast!  Pam can’t even get it out once!!) Game Reserve is one of the oldest reserves in Africa. It was opened in 1895 and covers over 230,000 acres. Characterized by rolling hills and open spaces, its original focus was the saving of the white rhino.  At the time the park was opened the white rhino was nearly extinct; there were only 60 known to be remaining in 1895.  Today the park is home to a much greater, but unknown number of both white and black rhinos (the park monitors all of its populations, but because of poachers they do not make the number of rhinos publicly available) and is home to all of the “Big Five” (elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion and rhino), as well as the Nyala antelope, and a variety of other animals and birds.  We saw three of the Big Five and lots of other “bonus”critters.

We traveled the same route to get to the park today as we did to get to the Village yesterday. When we arrived, we transferred from our bus to an open-air vehicle. They are definitely not designed for short people. It took a village to get Aunt Dori in and out!

Wandaboy (Pam is SURE this is not the correct spelling of his name, but this is the pronunciation of it) was our guide. He has no formal training to be a guide; he grew up very poor in a shanty community. He loves to read, and his wildlife education is largely self-taught. In addition to working as a guide in the park he voluntarily teaches school children about their natural environment, including which snakes are poisonous and how to treat a snake bite. He commented on how frustrating it is to him that so many of his fellow citizens suffer completely avoidable deaths because they don’t know how to treat a snakebite.

Our first sitings were of South African warthogs. They are everywhere in the park.

It’s the beginning of summer here in Africa and the animals are having their babies. Most of the animals we say today had youngsters between 2 weeks and 2 months old. As we got a little further into the park, we met two male Nyala antelope jousting in a field. Wandaboy explained that if they were seriously fighting the hairs along their back would be standing straight up and they would not stop for a jeep full of spectators. Nearby was a herd of females and their young.

Notice the markings on the rear of the females? These antelope are known as the “fast food” of the park, because the markings on their behind looks like an “M” (McDonald’s), and they serve an instant food source for almost all of the predators.

Later on, we also saw a Sable antelope. Africa has more antelope than any other continent, a total of eighteen different species in all.

It didn’t take long to come across our first elephant. There were many more as the day wore on.

Not impressed? Check out the size of this elephant as compared to the vehicles we were riding in.

They are the largest mammals on earth. They can grow to be thirteen feet tall at the shoulder and weigh as much as 14,000 pounds. We saw one take an entire tree down in a matter of minutes (couldn’t get a photo – it literally happended too fast). They eat every part of the tree – roots, bark, branches – and yet because of what is considered to be a very inefficient digestive system they are able to consume only 44 percent of the nutrients.

We saw buffalo…

And we saw what happens when an elephant decides to visit the buffalo’s watering hole…this river bed was full of buffalo, but as the elephants began wandering through the buffalo went scampering up the hill. “No, no, really, it’s okay! You can have it.”

We were fortunate to see the elusive white rhino (which isn’t white at all, by the way; it’s just lighter than it’s black rhino counterpart).

There were zebras, of course…

There were no sightings of leopards or lions, but we did see other creatures, like this Nile Monitor.

And these incredibly industrious dung beetles…

 The Telecoprid species of beetles work together to break off chunks of dung and roll it into a ball which can weigh up to 50 times more than themselves. These balls are procured from a dung site to be eaten or buried elsewhere to avoid competition with other species. The female will sit on top of the ball and lay her eggs within, while the male pushes it with his hind legs. Pretty impressive!

As we were wrapping up our game drive we came across these cuties (baboons) in some trees along the road.

We were disappointed not to see any lions or giraffes, but we’ve been told by many people we’re almost certain to see them when we do our game drives in the Johannesburg area. And we still got to see lots of wildlife in a beautiful setting. It was a day well spent!

Gotta love the Fire Trees around here!

December 17, 2024

Our travels through the Indian Ocean have brought us back to the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, this time to the town of Richard’s Bay.  Relatively new (opened in April of 1976), Richard’s Bay is home to one of the world’s deepest natural harbors, making it an ideal location for South Africa’s largest port.  It houses a major coal exporting operation, two aluminum smelters and a fertilizer plant.  There’s no missing the coal operations.  South Africa is the world’s seventh largest producer of coal, shipping most of its product to Southeast Asia. 

While the port may have done much to boost South Africa’s economy it came at a cost. 
Native Zulu were living on the lands co-opted for the port.  All were forced out to make room for the port.  After the port was established, supporting suburbs were developed, but this was the 1970s when Apartheid was alive and well.  The suburbs were white only.  There was no place for the Zulu people.  Following Apartheid, the Zulu were relocated to Townships, which are significantly different than suburbs.  Townships are under-developed, racially segregated urban areas created at the end of Apartheid.  They are usually located on the periphery of a town with “informal” settlements nearby.

Today we will be visiting a Zulu “living museum,” located about an hour-and-a-half from the city.  As we travel out of town, we see some of the township created for the Zulu.  Despite all of the economic opportunity presented by the port activities and the bustling infrastructure needed to support Richard’s Bay the area continues to be plagued by high unemployment.  Within Richard’s Bay unemployment sits at about 19 percent; in the surrounding areas it can be as high as 55 percent.  The crime rate is high, especially violent crime, and the area is known for a number of high-profile murders related to supply chain issues.

The area surrounding Richard’s Bay is beautiful and lush.  We pass acres and acres of Eucalyptus trees and tree farms, a major industry for South Africa.  Cows and goats freely roam the forested areas and leisurely graze in the grass alongside the road, unfazed by the traffic.  Few are being tended to; they all know to whom they belong and at the end of the afternoon each animal will return unbidden to its home for the night.

Our guide explains to us that despite the modernization of the world around them, the Zulu people continue to honor most of the traditions of their ancestors.  Among them, the design of their homes.  In an earlier post we told you that traditional Zulu structures are round.  Turns out there’s more to the story.  Each Zulu homestead will have its main living quarters, which resemble the structures you might expect in any community, but they also have a round building, the “Sacred Space.” This building has only two purposes:  housing a young girl experiencing her first menstrual cycle or a woman about to marry.  When a girl gets her first period she goes to the Sacred Space for a specified period of time where the elder women educate her about what it means to be a woman, her duties and the expectations for her.  The same happens when she is preparing for marriage.  No matter how simple or fancy, all homes honor this tradition.

Zulu still have arranged marriages (though either party can choose not to accept the arrangement) and polygamy is legal.  The groom must still pay a bride price of 11 cows for each bride; those living in the city will play the monetary equivalent of 11 cows.

The Zulu also continue their belief in black magic, which informs their treatment of pregnancy.  When a woman becomes pregnant, she is to tell no one for fear that someone with a grudge toward the woman or family might put a curse on the baby and cause it harm.  Pregnancies are kept secret until after the child is born.

We are visiting Dumazulu Cultural Village.  The village was established to give the public insight into the traditions and culture of the Zulu people.  They take great pride in saying that a very popular previous King of the Zulus visited the site and gave it his blessing as being truly authentic. 

The sign that greets us as we prepare to enter the village is not encouraging…

We travel a dirt path to the meeting point, where we are greeted by a young man in traditional garb.  He energetically interacts with the group, teaching us Zulu greetings and responses before we begin our actual tour.  Pam wanted to get a picture of his complete attire, which she succeeded in doing, but her photo skills need some work.

Before proceeding to the village, we first had to ask permission to enter.  We beat a drum with a specific pattern and waited.  Across the forest came a different drumbeat in response letting us know we would be welcomed.  When we arrived at the gate, we had to shout a phrase to reconfirm that it was okay to enter, then wait for a response.  Zulu villages have only one way in and one way out. You must always ask permission to enter and only a male can give that permission.  The entrances are built low, forcing you to bow as you enter.  This is to show respect to the ancestors.  Men always take the lead when entering or exiting the village or going on any journeys because they are the protectors; women are not allowed to engage in battle. 

As we visited the various demonstrations men were told to stand in a group to the right of the person giving the demonstration, women on the left.  This is another of the Zulu traditions.  We learned about spear-making, fighting techniques, and the making of artifacts.

The colors, color combinations and patterns in the artifacts all have cultural significance and serve as a means of communication.  They are used to regulate social behavior, teach young girls how to behave in relationships, or communicate messages of love, grief or uncertainty.  For example, if a young man expresses his interest in a young girl, she is not allowed to tell him how she feels with words.  Instead, she will make a bracelet or necklace that she will wear or give to him at their next meeting that will either signal yes, she wants to be with him, and he needs to give her father 11 cows, or no, he’s not interested.

We also visited the inside of the huts. The individuals we met today all live in the village, following the Zulu traditional way of life. They return to their home villages every 26 days, stay for four days, and then return here. Their life at home mirrors their life here.

We met a medicine man who explained some of the traditional healing methods.

Our time at the village ended with a traditional wedding dance.  For their part, the men must show the women how energetic and physically fit they are.  They compete side-by-side to see who can jump the highest and who has the most energy.  One of the guys was especially “cheeky.” He kept us all in stitches.

After the tribesmen showed us how it was done, they gathered volunteers from the audience to give it a try, first as a group and then individually.  Ken was an excellent participant. Pam would definitely choose him!

This was the traffic situation on the way back…we were traveling on a two-lane road and our driver was in the process of passing a dump truck on our left.

December 15, 2024

We were supposed to be strolling the wide boulevards of Mozambique’s lovely capital tomorrow, stopping at must-see attractions like their ornate train station, bustling central market and 18th-century fortress, enjoying a demitasse of espresso and signature Maputo delicacy called pastels de nata (a pastry that comes from Portugal, where we first tried them – so good!!).

Unfortunately, the civil unrest and violence following what many view as a rigged election has made it too dangerous for us to visit. More than 100 people have been killed in the last several weeks, fallen electricity poles, burnt tires and scattered stones litter the streets, and more demonstrations are panned for tomorrow. It is a grim reminder that life aboard a cruise ship is a far cry from reality…

On a positive note, this extra day at sea gave Aunt Dori the opportunity to meet yet another suitor. Since she’s already engaged, he said he would be her “Columbian Godfather.” With this kind of attention, she may never return to shore!!!

December 14, 2024

Later that afternoon we boarded a coach for a city tour.  Durban claims about 3.4 million residents, a little more than twenty percent of which live in Durban proper.  Aunt Dori has been battling a cold, so she opted to stay in and get some much-needed rest.

During Apartheid Black people were not allowed to enter the city.  Those who did had to have special permission from the government and carry papers verifying the authorization.  Durban was a very affluent area with lots of shops and industry.  When Apartheid ended, Black people began moving to the city and the white people fled.  Some of them leased their commercial buildings to Black entrepreneurs or rented rooms as apartments; others simply abandoned them.   Most of the buildings have fallen into disrepair.  Many are occupied by squatters, often undocumented immigrants from Nigeria or Mozambique. 

Street vendors fill practically every square inch of sidewalk, competing with traditional retailers in the buildings behind them, and on this Saturday in December shoppers abound.  Our guide explained this is because this is a three-day weekend; Durban’s year-round beaches and party scene make it a popular destination for local tourists.  In addition, many employees have just received their Christmas bonus and are doing their gift-buying.  It’s hard to imagine how the average person can afford gifts.  The annual salary is less than $400/year, and apartments rent for around $200/month.  Our guide for the helicopter ride shares what sounded like an efficiency apartment with three other people and no one has a bedroom.  They all sleep on pads on the floor.

Few people can afford their own vehicles, and public transport is virtually non-existent, making minivan taxis the most popular form of transportation.  They are EVERYWHERE! More than three million people a day rely on them to get to and from work.  They are designed to fit 12 people max but are usually filled with closer to 25. When we passed by around 5:30 p.m. this queue went all the way around the block.  An individual at the front of the line ensures riders get in a taxi heading where they need go, much like our taxi system in major U.S. airports.

We passed many historical landmarks, like a commemorative statue of a young Queen Elizabeth, the now-defunct post office, the Playhouse Theater in a Tudor-style building and a City Hall built as an exact replica of Belfast, Ireland’s City Hall.  We were never allowed to stop or get out to take pictures.  When someone asked why we were told it is because the cruise line won’t allow it; it’s too dangerous.  Durban is a main drug trafficking route and crime is high.  Even locals consider it unsafe to be out after dark.

As we drove out of town and through the middle-to-upper-middle class housing area to the four-star Bellaire Suites Hotel, where we were to enjoy a “few” small snacks we saw a clear contradiction of life in Durban.  Here streets are lined with swanky hotels, spendy restaurants and clubs.  Durban has seen the highest increase in the number of millionaires (as measured in US dollars) of any African city – 200 percent between 2000 and 2014. 

We made our way to the 11^th floor of the hotel where we were once again reminded of the generosity of the African people.  This is their idea of a “small” snack… We enjoyed the beautiful views of the Gold Coast before returning to the hotel to check in on Aunt Dori (she’s feeling much better, by the way).

We have spent the last several days zig-zagging our way along the southern-most coast of the African continent.  The map below shows our route.  We began in Cape Town, traveled north on the Atlantic to Walvis Bay, back south through the Cape of Good Hope to Port Elizabeth, and   then further northeast to Durban, where we find ourselves today. 

Throughout the entire journey the captain has been challenged with rough seas and strong crosswinds that have slowed our progress and tossed us to and fro.  As Aunt Dori has said, “You don’t have to be drunk to walk on this ship, but it might help!”  During one weather report he warned that we should be prepared for a day full of waves twenty or more feet high.  This is Pam’s kind of cruise – she loves breaking things up a bit.  We’re hoping the pictures below give you a sense of the experience.

Cruising conditions have caused us to be late arriving in our last two ports, but today’s delay was totally worth it.  It gave us the opportunity to see a pod of a dozen or more Southern Right Whales playing in the distance just as we were finishing our breakfast.  We were too far for pictures, so Pam is relying on the internet to give you an idea of what we witnessed.

Each year Southern Right Whales migrate from the more frigid waters of Antarctica or other areas to mate and birth their young in the warmer waters around Africa and Australia.  These whales are considered the most social of their species; they love to swim and play along the surface of the water and are often seen interacting with other marine animals, like dolphins and humpback whales.  Females can be up to 49 feet long and weigh in at a whopping 47 tons (94,000 lbs.)  Males average 52 feet in length and on average weigh 60 tons (120,000 lbs.).  This explains why we could see these beauties from a distance and not be able to photograph them for you.  They are so much fun to watch.  What a great start to our day!

We have been looking forward to today’s tour since the day we booked it.  After a greeting at the port from a group of native dancers, we took a short drive to the airport where we would board our helicopters for a flight over the Umgeni River Valley to a mountain-top picnic.

There were three helicopters in our group, two carrying five passengers each and one carrying four.  Denvir was our captain.  He’s been flying for about five years and his “real” job is being a paramedic, so we felt especially safe.

As we flew over the city of Durban we could see its Golden Mile, the name given its beautiful beaches because of the golden color of the sand.  Just beyond the city limits are the shanty communities (“informal housing”), and just beyond that the more traditional homes of the Zulu.

Durban is located in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.    KwaZulu means “place of the Zulu.” It has been home to the Zulu tribe for as long as anyone knows and during Apartheid, when tribes were forbidden from intermingling with other tribes or with white people this is where the Zulu lived. You may notice there are no formal roads in this area, yet most of the homes have running water and electricity, and the communities are well-established, with their own markets and schools. The round structures are traditional Zulu houses.

We shared our picnic spot with a herd of grazing cattle. We were treated to 360-degree views overlooking the Durban Heights Reservoir while our pilots set up an informal picnic.

The return journey was as beautiful as the outgoing one had been. We passed over the one waterfall on the river, and in the third photo in the group below you can see where the river empties into the Indian Ocean.

December 12, 2024

Officially founded as a port in 1820 by a British Army officer serving as the Cape’s governor at the time, Port Elizabeth was originally named after the governor’s deceased wife.  After centuries of colonia rule by various countries, South Africa – and the port –gained its independence.  In an effort to distance itself from its colonial past and more accurately reflect its authentic South African identity, in 2021 the local government renamed the town Gqeberha. 

Gqeberha comes from the Xhosa language and is the original name of the river that flows through the town.  The Xhosa are the largest of the eleven tribes in the area, and theirs is the most common tribal language in the area.  In choosing this name, the government is reclaiming the area’s South African heritage, honoring the local tribes, their culture and their legacy, and promoting multilingualism by every South African.  The only challenge is learning how to pronounce the new name.  The Xhosa are known as the “click” tribe because of the numerous click sounds used in their language.  Our previous guide, Queen, who is Xhosa, taught us that there are four distinct clicks, each created with a different placement of the tongue.  The particular click used before the pronunciation of a letter determines which letter is being said.  Getting the click sound right is tricky, even for South Africans who have been exposed to the language all their lives.

Today’s excursion took us about ninety minutes outside of Gqeberha to the Addo Elephant Park.  Along the way we passed the Swartkops Salt Pans.

Salt is the oldest, and probably least-industrial, industry in the area.  The salt pans in Swartkops are believed to have been in use for millennia.  The entire area of the pans is 1,600 yards long by 1,000 yards wide, and they produce roughly 60,000 tons of salt a year.  The process used to harvest the salt is almost entirely manual; four people working just one hour collect enough salt to keep them busy the rest of the day.

Saline springs provide the source of the pans.  A thick crustation of salt provides the foundation of the pans (about 2” thick), and when it rains the pans fill to about two feet deep at their deepest point.  As the water evaporates fresh salt is deposited on top of that foundation.  Those deposits are scraped off using iron spades, and the salt is then  washed by working it back and forth in the shallow brine.  After it’s washed the salt is raked into mounds four to five feet tall and transported to a warehouse where it is sorted by grade and allowed to finish drying, which takes three to thirty days.  The only additional processing is for table salt; it gets sifted before being bagged for distribution.  This method of production is unlike any other in the world.

When we arrived at the elephant park, we were disappointed to learn that we had unwittingly booked a tour that had us on a bus for our entire visit to the park.  We had expected to be in open-aired vehicles.  We were only able to take photos through the bus windows, but were happy that we were still able to see some of the elephants and other animals the park is famous for.

Addo Elephant Park is South Africa’s third largest game reserve.  It was founded in 1931 after the area’s once abundant elephant population had dwindled to a mere eleven.  The Park’s goal was to save these eleven and hopefully add to their numbers.  Today the Park’s boundaries include over two-hundred acres of land and marine preserves.  Members of all of the “Big 7” (elephants, rhinos, lions, buffalo, leopard, whales and Great White shark) call it home, and there are more than six hundred elephants.

In addition to elephants and zebras we saw antelope and Cape buffalo. 

The highlight of the sightings were these cute little Vervet monkeys.

This area of South Africa is lusher than where we’ve been before.  We enjoyed views of rolling hills, horse farms and planted fields during the drive.

The giant sand dunes in the distance reminded us that we were still in Africa.

From a distance Gqeberha looks very much like any American town…

but in researching its history for this post Pam discovered just how much we missed not having an opportunity to tour the town itself.  To learn more about its wonderfully rich features, check out this blog: 

Port Elizabeth: a meander through history, heritage and art – Irene McCullagh Photography

We returned to the ship with time to clean up and enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail. 

Dinner tonight was in the ship’s French-themed restaurant, Chartreuse.  We were greeted with strawberry Champagne and treated to the best service yet – and that’s saying a lot, because the service on this ship has been impeccable.  Aunt Dori and Ken went out on a limb, sharing deliciously prepared escargot.  Pam enjoyed a beautiful foie gras and the fresh mushroom soup prepared table-side was super yummy.  But the best part of all was a surprise marriage proposal to Aunt Dori from our waiter, Aaron!

December 9, 2024

Namib-Naukluft National Park in Western Namibia was established in 1907 and includes some of the world’s oldest desert.  It claims the world’s tallest sand dunes, some of which rise as high as one thousand feet and is the largest game park in Africa.  Alas, that is not what we were here to see.   We can report no sightings of leopards, foxes, baboons, jackals or hyenas, nor, thankfully, did we encounter any of the many poisonous snakes that live here.  With ground temperatures that can reach as high as 167°, most of the park’s inhabitants are nocturnal.  What we did see was lots and lots and lots of sand.

As we made our way from the ship to the park we passed the miles and miles of pipe that carry water from Swakopmund to its outlying areas, including the uranium mines we mentioned in yesterday’s post.  The roadways leading to the mine are lined with two pipes.  One carries the drinking water and the other is for sewage.

We were introduced to the Welwitschia, Africa’s national plant.  Declared a protected species in 1960, the plants have both male and female genders, differentiated by the size and shape of their cones (found at the end of what look like stems growing out of the center of the plant).  The oldest Welwitschia found to date is believed to be 1500 years old.  They can grow to more than fifteen feet tall, but it must take an awfully long time because the oldest plant we saw was 400 years old and still pretty low to the ground.  Age is determined by carbon-dating the stem of the plant – the center part that looks like wood and goes deep into the ground. 

The plant needs less than an inch of rain to be able to germinate.  It uses a unique type of photosynthesis that allows the pores in its leaves to open to absorb moisture from the ocean fog, and then close again.  Bees and wasps carry sperm from the male to the female. 

Our primary destination was an area of the desert known as “Moon Landscape.” It’s an area where prehistoric granite rocks were uplifted (by volcanic activity maybe?  Pam looked and looked but could find no explanation).  Over time they were covered in gypsum that was then washed away by an ancient river, exposing a formation of rocks that resembles the surface of the moon.  Our guide said a number of movies have been filmed here, including “Mad Max.” It’s quite a unique site to behold in a desert.

On our way back to the ship we stopped at the Goanikontes Oasis, a rest-stop built in the heart of what is known as Moon Valley.  It’s a cool little stop.

The rest stop has a unique way of identifying male and female bathrooms.

We had a bit of a surprise when we went to board our bus.  The clutch went out as the driver was attempting to park, rendering the bus inoperable for our return trip.  Uh-oh!  That’s a long walk…never fear!  There were four buses in our group and the other three made room for us to join them.  Whew!  That could have been the wrong kind of adventure…

The ride home included beautiful scenery and a photo op with flamingos.

Two sea days stand between us and elephants!

December 8, 2024

We have officially left South Africa and are now in Namibia.  Namibia literally means “desert,” and that’s exactly what this area is.  In fact, it is the dryest country in all of the area of Africa located south of the Sahara Desert, even when it’s not in a massive drought.  At 318,772 square miles in size with a population of about three million people, it is the world’s 34^th largest country, but its least populated.  It also has one of the world’s highest income disparities.  However, a recent discovery of oil fields in the Orange Basin and the harnessing of solar power may give the country the opportunity to change that. 

In January of this year more than eleven million barrels in oil reserves were found along Namibia’s Atlantic Ocean coastline.  The fields are owned by TotalEnergies and Shell but have the potential to double Namibia’s economy over the next 15 years.  In addition, Namibia has begun partnering with Germany and Belgium to harness the energy of the sun.  In exchange for their investment in the technology, Namibia currently sells more energy back to these countries than it keeps, but its goal is to generate 80 percent of its power domestically through the use of solar power by 2028 (currently they buy most of their energy from South Africa).  We saw evidence of the oil exploration in the harbor.

We are docked in Walvis Bay, the 2^nd largest city in Namibia, so named for the large number of Southern Right Whales who come to the bay, attracted by its deep-water harbor and rich plankton and marine life (Southern Right Whales are large, slow-moving, and, unlike other whales, do not sink when they are killed, thus making them the “right” whales to kill – when that was a thing).  Walvis Bay is part of the Skeleton Coast, a name coined for the title of a John Henry Marsh book about a famous shipwreck in the area.  There are more than a thousand such wrecks along this area of the coast, and the remains of their sailors are known to have washed up on shore a time or two, thus the name. 

Walvis Bay is an important center of logistical support and tourism for the region, providing port facilities for import and export of cargo for Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana.  The port here moves over a million containers per year.  From a tourism standpoint there is Dune 7 Sand Dune, frequented by 4-wheelers seeking adventure, salt works (Walvis Bay has a huge desalinization plant where they produce salt from ocean water), and two premier league soccer stadiums.  Hearing this you might expect pictures of a bustling metropolis, but that is not what Walvis Bay is, and it is certainly not how one would describe the town we visited.

Swakopmund Township is a working-class residential area established in the early 1950s to provide housing for three tribes whose people worked in Swakopmund.  The tribes were Owambo, Damara and Herero.  The original name of the town translated into “Place where excrement comes from,” thus the name of today’s posting.  The town is located along the Swakop river, and its name was derived from the observation that rains in the area caused large amounts of brownish sludge to discharge from the river into the Atlantic Ocean. Today approximately 75,000 people live here, many of whom work in one of the five uranium mines in the area. Some are involved in the work at Bird Island, a man-made platform that serves as a breeding ground for birds and can yield up to 600,000 TONS of guano – bird poop – for harvesting. We passed the platform on our way to town…hard to imagine so much…waste…can be deposited in such a small space.

We met with Madam Rosalia, a member of the Herero tribe, who lives in one such l house, the same home she was born in 57 years ago this month.  Madam Rosalia was raised before primary education became compulsory and speaks very little English, so her daughter Dee was there to translate.  We sat on the side of Madam Rosalia’s home, on crates and sofas covered with blankets while she educated us on the Herero way of life and shared information about various customs, some of which continue today. For example, Hereros practice polygamy, but it is the first wife who decides if there will be additional wives, and who those wives will be. Additional wives are usually chosen if the first wife is barren or needs assistance with the household.

Then it was off to a gourmet lunch of corn/maize Jello-like patties, pureed black-eyed peas, creamed spinach and fried caterpillar.  Yes, you read that correctly, caterpillar!  Proper etiquette is to squeeze off a piece of the corn/maize stuff, dip it in the spinach and puree, scoop up a caterpillar and shove it all in your mouth.  Not everyone was game, but Pam gave it a try.  The caterpillar has the texture of shrimp and tastes a bit like raw oysters, very salty and very fishy – ewwww!  When we arrived at the restaurant there were a couple of locals playing an oversized version of what we call Mancala.

During our travels we passed miles of people living in shacks, referred to as “informal housing.”  These homes have no electricity, running water or toilets.  Community toilets (a cross between our porta-potties and an out-house) are located among the shacks.  They have septic tanks that are emptied every two weeks or so by the government.  Individuals living here are employed, but with an average salary of less than $600 a year it can be tough to get ahead.  Some people don’t even make $100 year.  The government has a program in place to help these individuals get into permanent homes.  Those who qualify can purchase a home with $67 down.  The government provides financing for 20 years, after which the individual owns it free and clear.  Each home has a living area, kitchen, bathroom and 1-2 bedrooms.  The buyer can do anything they like with the property, but they cannot sell it for the first 10 years after it has been paid off. 
The government’s goal is to get everyone out of shacks and into a permanent home by 2030, but there is currently a 10-year wait, and the growth of the shack settlements is greatly outpacing the building of the permanent homes.

Our last stop was with a Himba Medicine Man.  We stood in his front yard as he shared a number of herbal remedies with us.  There are still many areas of Namibia that have no access to modern medicine, especially those in rural areas, and they depend solely on the traditional healer to cure what ails them.  It was interesting to hear that even today chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease or even cancer are unheard of in the tribal communities. 

Only children born with their amniotic sac intact are considered gifted enough to become healers.  They are identified and mentored from an early age, around 5, and serve their tribe all their lives.  The gentleman we met with is currently mentoring his youngest son.  There was a practicing physician in our group, and it was interesting to witness her interaction with the Medicine Man after his presentation.  She recognized some of the plants he had shared and was familiar with their medicinal properties.

On our route to and from Swakopmund we drove Palm Tree Lane, which boasts the world’s longest continuous line of palm trees.  There are 800 palm trees lining each side of the road, for a total of 1600 trees in all.  Since Palm trees are thought to have originated in North Africa it seems appropriate this honor should be bestowed up on an African country.

December 7, 2024

Friday, December 6^th marked the beginning of  our first cruise with Regent Seven Seas, and our second with Aunt Dori.  She joined us for Pam’s 60^th birthday cruise in 2023 but had her own cabin.  This time we’re sharing our space, and, thanks to the size of the Regence cabins, it’s working out quite well.

We’re not exactly in a pent-house suite, but the design of the cabin provides Aunt Dori her own space and a bit of privacy at night.  The sofa in the pictures below opens up to a queen-size bed, and she’s able to pull the curtains closed to create the illusion of separation. 

The closet is cozy, but surprisingly big enough to fit all of the items we need to hang with room left over, and there are enough drawers and cubbies around the cabin to accommodate all of our mentionables and unmentionables, and even all the medication bags and bottles you might expect with a 60+ crowd. We’re managing the dance of getting three adult bodies up and out the door pretty darn well (Ken is a master at getting ready and out the door for some quiet time to allow Aunt Dori and Pam the time required to become fit for public consumption).

The Splendor is a beautifully appointed ship, with a nice variety of hang-out spaces and ample opportunities to refresh yourself with drink, whether that be water, coffee or something of a more adult persuasion.  There’s the main observation lounge where we can enjoy the vista of the ocean while Ken whips Pam and Aunt Dori in whatever game we’re playing at the moment, the card room, where the crescendo of Mah-Jong tiles often overwhelms the quiet hum of conversation, or one of the many lounges that in the evening transforms from quiet gathering spaces with subtle background music to a variety of musical entertainment venues where you can enjoy Yacht-Rock-type duets or dance the night away.  Its main lobbies have been festively decorated for the holiday season.

Quiet conversations or time alone can be found in any of the many conversation areas situated around the ship, or in the Splendor’s well-stocked library.

There’s a pool, putt-putt course, casino, theater and all of the usual activities you might expect on a cruise (think trivia, community puzzle tables, crafting…), as well as a jewelry store where one can pick up a little bauble like the necklace Pam’s wearing in the photo below. A mere $112,700 and it’s all yours…they might even throw in a “free” watch!

They also have a salon on board where you can get your hair and nails done, a spa, fitness center and no shortage of excellent dining experiences, whether in the main dining room or one of three specialty restaurants. 

Tea is served every day from 4:00-5:00, with a different theme each time. Today’s theme was brownies.

They also offer a drink of the day. Today’s drink was a blueberry margarita. Here’s what Aunt Dori thought of it:

Regardless of where we are or what we’re doing the level of service is top-notch.  The staff and crew are friendly, extremely efficient and engaging, and are making this a memorable experience on every level. 

Saturday was a day at sea….or, more accurately, at ocean, since we’re sailing the Atlantic.  Excursions begin tomorrow and we are ready!

December 4, 2024

South Africa is the southernmost country on the African continent.  Bordered by Namibia to the northwest, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique and Swaziland to the northeast and east, respectively, with coastlines that border the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest, it has three capital cities.  Pretoria houses the Executive branch of government; Bloemfontein is home to the Judicial branch; and Cape Town claims the Legislative branch. It is here –  Cape Town – that we begin our 26 day South African odyssey.  Over the next 23 days we will experience a 3-day land tour in the Cape Town area, followed by a 14-day cruise that will include stops in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and end with a visit to Victoria Falls and a couple of game drives.  Making the journey all the more special is that we are being joined by Pam’s 83-year-young Aunt Dori.  Many of you have met her and know the sparkle she adds to any day, her unique ability to turn the most mundane activity into an adventure.  So, buckle up folks, it’s gonna be a fun one!

We left Florida on the afternoon of Sunday, December 1^st and arrived in country 34-hours later.   A short bus ride from the airport to our hotel gave us immediate insight to the disparity that is South Africa. We passed miles and miles of shanty towns – communities of “homes” built out of corrugated aluminum, cardboard and whatever other building materials occupants can find –  bumped up against pristine golf courses and a stone’s throw away from Cape Town’s NHL soccer stadium. 

As today’s tour guide put it, South Africa is a country of the extremely poor and the extremely rich; there’s not much in between. Cape Town itself is very metropolitan and there is literally no transition from the shanty towns and homeless encampments along the now defunct railway tracks to the city limits. These ramshackle dwellings are built on dirt floors, rarely have running water, and routinely steal electricity from the nearest available box, and yet almost every single one of them has a satellite dish. I couldn’t get pictures from the bus, so am sharing some from the Internet.

It’s a unique experience for us to be so far from home and find ourselves in a country where English is the primary language.  In its 1994 post-Apartheid constitution South Africa recognizes eleven official languages:  English (because it is the most commonly used language for international business and economic operations), Afrikaans (a language that originally began as a slang conglomeration of the various European languages spoken during British and Dutch rule and over time morphed into a commonly accepted broadly used language), and each of the tribal languages recognized across the nine regions of the country. 

Today was our first official tour day and it began with a quick stop at  Nederberg Winery, which was established in 1791 and is now owned by Heineken.  I’d tell you more, but that’s all I know and all I could find. 

After tasting five of their finest wines, it was off to Franschhoek Manor, a winery and B&B located near the base of  the Hohrbrackenstein mountain range.  The grounds are gorgeous.  The winery was established in 1707  and run by the same family for more than 200 years.  The Manor House on whose patio we enjoyed lunch, was built in 1715 and housed the family through all of the generations.

Our lunch began with a nice white wine followed by a red blend.  Soon oysters were being delivered to the tables.  Then came the fire-roasted bread and paninis with cheese, tomato  and onions freshly made by the gentlemen in the photo manning the fire pit.  Those were soon replaced with mussels.  Next thing we knew there was potato salad, Caesar salad, and a corn salad.  Getting full?  Hold on!  There’s more.  Before we were done, we had been served ELEVEN dishes, including beef steak kabobs and melt-in-your-mouth lamb, topped off with a delicious pudding for dessert.  It was crazy! Our tour guide joined us for much of the meal and generously indulged Pam and Aunt Dori’s endless string of questions. God definitely made the two of them curious and interested!

Following lunch there was a “surprise” visit to Victor Vester Prison, where Nelson Mandela was housed for the last three years of his imprisonment and the site where, on February 11, 1990, he walked free after 27 years behind bars. The pictures below show the entrance to the prison grounds, the home where he was held on house arrest during his time here and the statue erected in commemoration of his historic release.

Our last stop of the day was the beautiful little town of Franschhoek, where we visited an outdoor market and explored local shops.  Our big find of the day was a store that sells items made from Ostrich eggshell fragments.  Amazing – but spendy!! Alas, there was no room in our wallets or luggage to bring a memento home with us.

June 1, 2024

Although it is much smaller and considerably less grand than the Peles Castle we saw earlier this week, Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s Castle) is easily the most popular tourist attraction in all of Romania.

On the day we were there it was teeming with visitors, not just those looking to tour the castle, but also a number of people attending a festival being held on the grounds. Because of the crowd, we were rushed through the castle with very little time for pictures or a clear understanding of what the guide was trying to tell us, but we did our best to get photos and learn the story of the castle and its inhabitants.

First, there’s that little thing about Dracula…who knows where the rumors started, but the tourist industry has been all too happy to keep it going (and it’s clearly working well for them). One rumor is that Bran is referred to as Dracula’s Castle because it so closely resembles the castle described in the novel. Apparently, anyone who’s read the book knows that this is completely untrue. There are no similarities between the two. Another rumor is that Vlad the Impaler lived or stayed in the castle. This, too, has been debunked. In fact, it’s questionable he was ever here at all. Speculation is that if Vlad had been here, he would have simply been passing through when the castle operated as a customs post. Most people don’t know this until they arrive, if they ever find out at all, and I’m guessing they don’t really care. As long as we’re here, lets check it out.

The castle was built in 1377 almost exclusively for fortification and protection of the colonists in Transylvania. It was used for a short time in the 1400s as a customs post, and somewhere along the way became the property of the Hungarian monarchy. In 1533 one of the kings defaulted on some loans and the city of Brasov gained possession of the castle. With the 1920 Treaty of Trianon at the end of WWI the castle became a royal residence, and the favorite home of Queen Marie of Romania who had it extensively renovated. During the renovations she found a secret stairway!

Queen Marie was quite the lady. She was the first woman to be named Commander of a Romanian military calvary regiment and participated in several battles. She used her own money to care for wounded soldiers and asked family members to procure medical supplies from other countries. She played a decisive role in Romania’s entry into WWI, and it was she who convinced the Allied Nations to recognize a unified Romania when she crashed the Paris Peace Conference to plead their case. In 1917 the French press said, “There is only one man in Romania, and that’s the Queen!” She was also an accomplished painter and author of children’s books and her own memoirs. As if that weren’t enough, she also did a Pond’s hand cream commercial and was a friend of Sam Hill, founder of the Maryhill Museum of Art along the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge.

I think the pictures above are of the music room and summer dining room.

Queen Marie was married to King Ferdinand and they each had their own living quarters within the castle. Queen Marie’s apartment was the third picture in this post. Here are pictures of the King’s “apartment.”

When the Queen died in 1938 her daughter, Ileana, inherited the castle. A woman after her mother’s heart, Ileana was the first Romanian woman to earn her Masters in Navigation and was an accomplished sculptor and author. She had earlier married the Archduke of Austria (a Habsburg, a name you might remember from our posts about Vienna) and was living near Vienna, where she had founded a hospital. She and her children moved into the castle, and during WWII she established a hospital there, too, as well as a camp for refugees and the politically persecuted.

The communist regime seized the residence in 1948 and Ileana and her family fled to the U.S., settling in Youngstown, PA, where she is buried. The property was returned to her son in 2005. It was opened to the public as Romania’s first private museum in 2009.

This is our last post for this amazing European Sojourn. We’ll be leaving the hotel at 3 a.m. tomorrow for our flight home. We hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as we have enjoyed sharing it with you. Until next time…

The journey to and from our next destination was almost as much fun as being there. After driving a short distance from Sighisoara, our bus dropped us off in an empty gravel lot. Our guide took us to an informal trail head in the far corner, which led us to a tree-lined path that wound its way behind traditional homes, a couple of which had a back yard full of wild turkeys, alongside horse pastures until we reached the town of Viscri.

Viscri is a quaint little village with no paved roads where every night between six and six-thirty the cows return from grazing the hills above, each going to its respective gate to be let in for the evening. We were there in the middle of the afternoon, so I’m relying on the internet to provide you a visual.

The townspeople use horse carts for local travel and transporting of goods; few automobiles are allowed on the gravel roads and only during specified times of the day.

We continued up another gravel road to the fortified White Church, the most authentic of the churches we’ve seen. The original bones of the church were erected in the 12th century; benches are from the 16th century. There was a very specific seating order designed to represent the circle of life, and social position dictated who sat where. Commoners sat in the center; more important individuals occupied the side seats.

The parishioners who attended this church were very strict rule followers and masters at holding a grudge. (Apparently, they missed the “Judge not lest ye be judged” verse in the Bible.) Between the church and the fortress wall was a large round rock. This was the “Rock of Shame.” If someone was accused of stealing or a woman was accused of adultery (only the women, not the men), the person would be required to stand on this rock throughout the entire service to be publicly humiliated by all of the other parishioners.

Just as with the fortress we saw earlier today, the church is surrounded by a large wall with multiple levels, one of which would have provided housing for the area’s citizens when the town was under attack, and another from which weapons could be fired. A portion of the interior wall of this fortress has been turned into a museum, displaying coins, clothing and other items that would have belonged to the people who would have made use of this fortress.

This part of Transylvania has always been known for its honey. We took a narrow staircase to the upper area of the wall where we found a display of the beekeeping equipment as well as looms and other items that would have been used during the 12th-14th century. We were not able to follow the full circumference of the wall, but we experienced enough to appreciate the beautiful views the townspeople would have enjoyed during times of peace.

We made our way back to town where we learned that before he ascended the throne this was a favorite vacation spot for King Charles, who owns two homes here. When he became King travel became more cumbersome for him – he is required to bring a bit of an entourage now which he thinks creates too much disruption for the town folks – so he turned his homes, which he had combined into one large commune – into a rather non-descript museum. It’s lack of razzle dazzle suits this quiet little town perfectly.

After such a full day we had just enough time to get back and freshen up a bit before heading out to a traditional dinner, which included a guided tour of Brasov, the town where we stayed, hosted by a woman from the 1700s or so.

Romanian architects had quite the cheeky sense of humor. Check out the sculptures in the picture of the hotel on the left, above the windows on the second floor and just below the roofline. And how about the little guy peeking off the roof of the church?

Tomorrow will be our final day in Transylvania. We will be capping off our time here with a visit to Dracula’s Castle before returning to Bucharest and preparing for our flight home on Sunday.

May 31, 2024

Lunch was in Sighisoara, one of the most well-preserved medieval cities with people still living in it. There were once 27 towers like the one you see in the first picture, built to protect the town. Seven of the original towers remain.

We were told the house with the antlers on the corner is the most traditional style. In the “old days” three-four generations lived together in the same house and used the attic to store food.

Sighisoara is also the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, thought by some to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. We enjoyed a delicious lunch in a restaurant that was once the home where Vlad was born and lived during the first two years of his life.

Vlad Dracula (Dracula means “Son of Dracul), was a renowned military leader, considered one of the most important in Wallachiam (now Romania) history, and a Romanian hero. He served as the highest-ranking military leader of the Hungarian empire three times between 1448 and his death in 1476 and earned the nickname Vlad the Impaler because of his penchant for impaling his enemies on stakes in the ground and leaving them to die. Because Bram Stoker set his novel in Transylvania and named his title character Dracula, many assume Vlad the Impaler was Stoker’s inspiration. However, Stoker’s third great-granddaughter has insisted he was not. According to her, the author had a blood disease that required blood-letting, which caused him to have difficulty sleeping and left him very pale. He was fascinated by Romanian folklore, especially as it pertained to vampires, and wrote the book with himself in mind as the main character. When researching a name for his character he misunderstood the translation of Dracul. He thought it meant “devil,” perfect for his character. It really means “dragon.” Nothing has been found in his notes to contradict his granddaughter’s account. And for those who may be wondering, no, blood is not on the menu at Casa Vlad.

Lunch was followed by a visit to the Clock Tower, Sighisoara’s main attraction. The Tower has been guarding the main entrance to Sighisoara since the 14th century, and originally housed the city’s administrative offices. Today it is home to the History Museum of Sighisoara, and its balcony, accessible by a narrow and very windy staircase, boasts the best views in the city.

The clock and its figures are still fully functional. To the left of the clockface are four figures. The women in the center top represent justice and righteousness. In the bottom left is a woman carrying an olive branch and a trumpet, representing peace. The little drummer boy on the right actually strikes the drum every quarter hour.

An additional seven figures are very busy multi-tasking, representing each of the seven days of the week, the seven ancient gods, the seven planets and the seven basic metals. Each figure represents a day of the week, with the symbol on its head signifying the ancient god it is also representing. Items of clothing, material used, and positions of different parts of the body take care of representing the planets and metals. From below the tower the only figure visible is the one representing the current day of the week.

Now it was time to move on to Viscri and another fortified church community.

May 31, 2024

Finally! Today we visit Transylvania, Pam’s pseudo-home (years ago, when it was discovered Pam’s body wasn’t making blood, and she was still getting by on very little sleep her family declared her a vampire…we all know from Bram Stoker that vampires originated in Transylvania…) and a destination we’ve been looking forward to since we booked this cruise. We did a LOT today, so we’ll be breaking the blog post into three segments.

We began in the town of Prejmer, at the Fortress Tartlau, one of thirteen such communities across Transylvania.

Invasions were common during the Middle Ages, and as the first settlement encountered after marauders made their way through the nearby Buzau Pass, Prejmer was a frequent target. Some historians claim they were invaded every seven years almost like clockwork. The city itself was completely destroyed no fewer than fifty times. Communities began fortifying their churches, surrounding them will high, thick walls designed to contain a city within a city and provide strategic fighting positions. Thanks to these fortifications the church at Tartlau was never destroyed.

Fortress Tartlau was built during 1212-1213 with 40-foot walls 16-feet deep formed in a 2600-foot circle. It is accessed through a 98-foot tunnel protected by a sliding gate with thick wooden grills and strengthened by iron.

Townspeople usually knew well in advance that an invasion was coming. They would move all of their tradesmen into the courtyard of the fortress, where they would continue business as usual during the fighting. The interior of the fortress wall had 270 rooms of different sizes, assigned to individual families based on wealth, which could house up to 1600 villagers. In times of peace these rooms were used for storage, but during conflicts families would move as many of their possessions as possible and all of their family members into a space that was about 20’x30′, some slightly larger (see the last three photos below; the last photo shows one of the rooms being used as a classroom. Even when the town was under siege life continued as much as normal as possible). For a non-community member to gain entrance to the fortress they had to both pay a fee and have a community member in good standing vouch for them.

The center of the community, of course, was the church. This particular church was built by Roman Catholic Teutonic Knights, invited to the region as protection. Over time the Knights lost favor and were essentially expelled. The Saxons who lived in the area and were of German descent and mostly Lutheran heritage elected to convert the community and the church to Lutheranism for political and economic reasons. If they converted, they would no longer have to give money to the Catholic church. That money would remain in their community, and they would be able to print the Bible in their own language, rather in the Latin so few of them could read or understand. An added benefit was that Christian values better aligned with their own cultural values.

The rugs you see in the photo are symbolic of rugs that would have been given to the church as gifts grom traveling merchants as a thank-you to God and a thank-you to the church for letting them enter the community. The organ dates back to 1800. The church is still used for services today.

The highlight of our visit was getting to go inside the walls of the fortress, where the defense was mounted. The wall contains holes where individuals could position their bows or firearms, or through which boiling pitch could be poured onto attackers (ouch!). The pièce de résistance was the “organ of death,” a thick, rotating wooden board on an iron axle with five barrels mounted on each side that allowed the people to shoot five weapons simultaneously. Barrels on one side could be loaded with metal or flint projectiles while the other side was firing at the enemy. By rotating the board very quickly, you could achieve continuous firing, like a machine gun.

This was a great tour that gave us a really good sense of what life may have been like for folks back then.

As we made our way to our next stop we drove past several Gypsy encampments. Traditionally people who move around for no apparent reason, just drifting from place to place, the Roma people, otherwise known as Gypsies, have endured a great deal of discrimination. They were used as slaves as early as the 1300s and into the 1800s, sent to work camps with the Jews during the Holocaust, and were often prohibited from working in traditional trades or industries. Their historical reputation as thieves continues to follow them. Although some successfully integrate into the communities where they settle, those who do not tend to be very poor. They are organized by Clans, recognize a king, still have arranged marriages, use a horse and buggy for transportation, and are very connected to nature. Gypsies are a joyful, musical, and proud people. It’s unfortunate we, as a society, haven’t found a more effective way to blend their traditions with our modern ideas.

May 30, 2024

Seventy-seven miles north of Bucharest, nestled high in Romania’s dramatic Carpathian Mountains stands the most beautifully elegant castle we’ve visited this entire trip. Built between 1873 and 1914, Peles Castle reflects the German heritage of its original owners, King Carol I of Romania, and his wife, Queen Elisabeth. The King was brought from Germany to assume the throne in 1866 and remained in power until his death in 1914. He and his wife had only one child, a little girl, who died when she was four years old.

Built as a summer home, the castle was the most technologically advanced of its time. Its style has been compared to that of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria (aka the “Disney Castle,” fond memories for Pam and her daughters).

We arrived on a rainy day when the main clock tower was under construction. It was difficult to get good outside shots, so we’re supplementing Ken’s photos with some from the Internet.

Our tour began in the courtyard where what was once the guards’ quarters is now a restaurant. The building in the first picture with the clock tower originally served as the guest house. Back in the day guests would arrive with their own horses and servants and stay for extended periods of time, which also meant lots of luggage and personal items. There simply wasn’t enough room to fit all of them in the 34,000 sq. ft. 170 rooms of the castle, even if they did have 30 bathrooms (really???), so they were essentially given their own living quarters.

As we entered the main courtyard of the castle itself, we were struck by the incredible craftsmanship that surrounded us. From the moment you enter the courtyard you are surrounded by beauty and art. Each of the windows you see in the picture of the courtyard is etched glass, as shown in the second picture. Upon entry through the main door, you are greeted with parquet floors, marble walls and the statue shown in the last picture of the last row.

We started in the Hall of Honor, where guests would have received their initial welcome. The Hall is three stories high, topped with a fully electric sunroof, powered by a hydroelectric plant built along the river specifically to provide electricity to the castle, which also enjoyed running water, central heating (all of the fireplaces are cosmetic), two electric elevators and a central vacuum system. Keep in mind this is the King’s “cheap” version of a castle. He rejected three earlier designs because they were too costly.

Next up was the armory, displaying only 1,600 of the 4,000 pieces of weaponry owned by the King. All of the items are original, have actually been used in battle and were received as gifts to the King. The knight on the horse is the exception – it was never worn or used in battle. Just the armor being worn by the knight weighs 270 lbs. Might have been a little tough to engage in battle wearing that. A horse probably would have buckled under the weight of the armor designed for it.

The armory was followed by the study and the library. We just can’t say enough about the artistry on display. The third picture below is of the ceiling of the study, and every room is like this. The library contains a secret door, disguised as part of the bookcase, that leads to a series of tunnels used by the servants to more quickly reach the King and Queen when they required service, no matter where any of them were located.

There is nothing that is not art in this home. Even the furnishings are masterpieces.

The music room contains a harp and piano actually used while the King and Queen lived here.

The Florentine Hall was used for receptions. Its Murano glass chandeliers were crafted in Italy, dismantled and loaded onto a person-drawn carriage (they were afraid the horses would create too much jostling and break the glass in transit) which delivered them to a ship where they were transported to Romania. Once there the chandelier pieces were again loaded onto person-drawn carriages, delivered to the castle and reconstructed and hung. Each fixture weighs 200 lbs.

In the first picture you’ll notice the ceiling between the chandeliers contains a beautiful painting. On the wall across from the fireplace is a mirror angled just right so that it offers a reflection of that painting. Guests could enjoy a view of the painting without twisting or craning their necks to see it – genius!

But perhaps the most impressive feature of this room is its floor-to-ceiling bronze doors with 3-D figurines. They are absolutely stunning.

We continued on to the Mirror Hall, Dining Room, Moorish Room and a final reception room before exiting down the stairs into the Hall of Honor and into the back garden area.

In 1947 Communist Romania seized all of the property owned by the monarchy. Peles Castle was declared a museum in 1953, but during the final years of Romanian communism it was completely shut down, open only for maintenance and use by the military. Nicolae Ceausescu (pronounced chow-shesk-oo), the last Communist ruler of Romania, did not like the castle and closed it in 1975. After the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, which resulted in the execution of Ceausescu and his wife and ended 42 years of Communist rule in Romania, Peles was re-established as a heritage site and opened to the public.

We had lunch on our own and time to explore in the wonderful ski resort town of Sinaia. The rain continued, but we weren’t going to let it ruin our day! Check out those rain canapes for outdoor dining in that last picture. What a great idea!

We even found some properties for sale…

A beautiful ride back through the Carpathian Mountains took us to the town of Brasov, where the weather cleared, and we enjoyed a beautiful view of a floral peacock and an inviting park from our room.

May 29, 2024

The hour-and-a-half bus ride from our dock in Giurgui to today’s tour in Bucharest gave our guide ample time to educate us on current events in the area, especially as they pertain to Romania’s relationship with Ukraine. The view as we hit the highway provided the perfect set up.

We apologize for the quality – it was a little tough to get a good shot from the bus as we sped down our side of highway – but if you look at the oncoming traffic lanes you will get a visual of semi-tractor trailer rigs as far as the eye can see. At this point we had already traveled a good five-to-ten miles down the road and this had been the scene the entire distance. Our guide explained that more than 50% of these trucks are carrying goods from Ukraine.

Russian missile attacks have destroyed much of Ukraine’s transport and logistics infrastructure, with air cargo totally suspended and port activity severely interrupted. This leaves Ukraine with only two routes for getting their goods out of country so that they can keep their economy alive – Poland and Romania. Romania has the longest border with Ukraine; goods and services leaving Ukraine pass through Romania, and military supplies from Bulgaria, Turkey and other countries pass through Romania on their way to Ukraine. This is just one of the ways Romania is supportng Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression. They are also providing electricity, have assisted with military training, donated 1 billion Euros worth of ammunition and are providing refuge to several hundred thousand refugees while even more pass through on their way to finding safety elsewhere. All of this while their own citizens continue to endure very difficult conditions.

Eighty-five percent of the Romania’s GDP is produced within eight cities; forty-five percent of its citizens produce fifteen percent of its GDP. The unemployment rate is so low they are having to bring workers in from other countries to subsidize their work force. The country has lost major manufacturing contracts because they could not provide the work force to support operations. Most recently they brought in 150,000 workers from Asia. And yet the city we will be visiting today, Bucharest, boasts 30,000 “official” millionaires (our guide noted that Bucharest is the 6th most corrupt city in Europe – how they know these things we do not know – so it is assumed there are many more “unofficial” millionaires. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Hungary is #1 for corruption). Our first viewing stop was a perfect example of this.

The Palace of Parliament is one of the largest buildings in the world, second only to our own Pentagon.

Built by the President of Communist Romania between 1984 and 1997 at a cost of more than 6 billion euros, the 3,930,000 square foot building is currently home to both chambers of the Romanian Parliament, three museums, a restaurant for the use of politicians only and an international conference room. It also has bullet-proof windows, a nuclear bunker buried nearly 400 feet below ground, and its own subway station for use only during an emergency evacuation. Nothing in the construction of the building was imported; a special factory was created to make the bullet-proof windows, but once the project was complete the factory went out of business and everyone lost their job because there was no market for its product. Seven hundred architects and 25,000 works (23,000 of whom were soldiers) were employed in the construction of the Palace.

It costs the people about 100 million euros a year to keep the lights on, and the building accounts for 20% of Bucharest’s total energy consumption, even though they only use about 60% of the building – and there is NO air conditioning! In fact, despite the time and money spent, only 400 of the planned 1,000 rooms have been completed. Sources estimate it would cost another 2.5-3 million euros to finish it. Did I mention that this behemoth is also the heaviest building in the world? It weighs in at a whopping 9.04 billion (there’s that word again) tons!! One more fun fact? Donald Trump tried to buy the building a few years ago for $600 million. Needless to say his offer was rejected.

Kitty-corner from the Palace is a boulevard full of luxury two-story apartments built for the elite of the Community party. No expense was spared in the design and building of these babies; they can even withstand an 8.0 earthquake. But no one wanted to live in them. Might have something to do with all of the little cameras and microphones installed during construction. If you’re interested, starting price is 1 million euros.

One of the most unfortunate parts of this story is that more than 6500 historical buildings were destroyed to create this Parliament Square area.

Our next “stop” was the Orthodox cathedral, second largest in the world, and like the Parliament Palace, despite 100 years of construction, it is only about 60% complete. Building costs are being paid for by the church, its members and local and national government entities. It can fit 7,000 people inside, and is expected to cost 500 million euros before all is said and done, though no one has any idea when that will be. With a church income of more than 500 million euros a year, no one’s really worried about it either.

As we made our way towards the old town area of Bucharest we got a glimpse of where all those millionaires keep their money. All of these buildings are banks, one of which is now and has always been state-owned and funds the military.

The entrance to the old town area provides a stark contrast to these monuments to wealth.

According to our guide, individuals who came into power after the end of Communist rule in Romania had no interest in the economic development or historical preservation of the country. They lost a decade of economic recovery/advancement and much of Bucharest fell into disrepair. But today Romania has a very interesting approach to historical conservation. Individuals may buy historic buildings and restore them, but in the restoration, they must use only materials available at the time the building was originally built. For example, a friend of our guides bought a building and attempted to use concrete to rebuild the foundation and walls. He was told he could not do this because the concrete used today was not available when the building was originally constructed (!). However, if the building falls down, they can do whatever they like with the property. Crazy! So you see all these buildings that look like they should be condemned and upon closer inspection there are people living in them!

After lunch we continued our walk through the town. Almost all of the larger buildings in the pictures below are banks, including the building with the dome. The picture in the middle of the next to last row and the one on the left in the last row are examples of buildings erected during the Nazi occupation. They tore down historic buildings and replaced them with what our guide referred to as “this Nazi mess.”

We also came across a business named for our son-in-law, Jack!

After a drive through Embassy Row, where most governments house their embassy and there were no stops for pictures, we made our last stop of the day, an outdoor museum that offers a history of the different villages that have existed throughout Romania’s life. Consisting of old traditional houses gathered from all the regions of the country, the museum illustrates the different architectural styles of historical areas like Moldova, Wallachia, Transylvania, Maramures, and Dobrodja. To be honest, it had been a long, hot day and we were pretty much done by this point. We didn’t pay a lot of attention, and actually left the tour early, but Ken did snap a few pictures.

At long last it was time to return to our hotel. After 23 days, 8 countries and 25 tours our time on the Viking Lofn has come to an end. Tomorrow we begin our land tour in Transylvania! This is something we’ve been looking forward to since we booked the cruise!

We’ll sign off with the views of and from our hotel, a JW Marriott that provides a touch of home…

May 28, 2024

A long and scenic drive through the rich and fertile farmlands of the valley and the steep limestone cliffs of northern Bulgaria delivered us from our ship’s port in Ruse to our first official stop in Arbanasi. As we traveled past field after field, we noted that there were no homes or buildings situated on the land. This is because Bulgarian law prohibits using the land for anything other than its agricultural purpose as a way to protect the fertility of the land. The individuals who own these lands have homes and barns within the city and commute to their farms.

Before we arrived at Arbanasi we stopped for refreshments at an event center built to resemble the old fortresses we’ve been visiting. The most notable thing about our visit were the bird nests we found at the top of the ceilings just outside both the men and women’s restrooms. Their owners were home and very vocal but shy.

Located in central northern Bulgaria, Arbanasi (Bulgarian for “Albanian) is a city thought to have been first founded in the 13th century by Albanian merchants who, over time, became very wealthy trading their goods in nearby Transylvania. Today the city is best known for its preservation of historic monuments. We visited two of the more well-known ones – the Nativity Church and a merchant’s home that is now a museum.

The Nativity Church began as a one-room Eastern Orthodox church in 1597. At the time it was built the law said no building could be taller than the height of a rider sitting atop his horse. This explains the shortness of the building, and its doorways. Services were (and are) conducted standing up, but to accommodate those who might need a short respite during longer services very narrow seating benches were installed along the wall of one of the rooms.

Both men and women are buried in the cemetery behind the church, but it is only a select few. One had to hold a very high position within the church or be near sainthood to qualify. Flat headstones differentiate men’s graves from the women’s, which had rounded headstones.

The Nativity is Arbanasi’s oldest church, and its simple exterior belies the wealth of art within. Nearly every square inch of its interior walls are covered in murals and frescos, approximately 3600 in all, dating back to the 17th century.

A few blocks from the church stands the Konstanzalieva’s House, a 17th century home owned by the richest family in Arbanasi at the time. It has been turned into a museum showcasing the lifestyle of rich merchants of the time.

The bottom floor of the home would have been for storage and livestock; the family would have lived in the upper stories. The first room we entered contained a bed that would have been used by the father as a sort of office, the place he would have conducted business. All business meetings of the day would have begun with a cup of tea and a sufficient amount of small talk before getting to the purpose of the call.

Next was the dining area, behind which is the kitchen, complete with a secret staircase (we couldn’t get a picture) where the family could hide in case of attack, and indoor bathrooms (that little triangle in the floor – and they had not one, but two bathrooms)! A room for newlyweds and the women’s work room was next, followed by a special room for new mothers and their infants. Because disease was so prevalent during this period and new mothers and their babies considered so fragile, they were kept separate from the rest of the family for the first 40 days after the baby was born. There’s even a space in the room to hang the baby’s laundry, because they were afraid that if they hung its garments outside “dark” forces might come in the night and steal its soul.

Lunch was in a very festive restaurant, complete with a little animal farm of goats, chickens, pigs and peacocks (they swear they’re just pets and not future meals). We were served a traditional meal of bread with hummus and chicken stew while traditional musicians danced around us.

The best part of the day was saved for last – the Tsaravets Fortress in Veliko Tarnova. Built between 1185 and 1393, it was the primary fortress of the Second Bulgarian Empire. In addition to more than 500 houses and 21 churches, the fortress was home to the royals and religious leaders and is often compared to Rome and Constantinople in its significance.

There were the usual inclines and stairs…

But a beautiful chapel and views were our reward when we reached the top.

We could have spent an entire day exploring these grounds and all the history they have to offer. We were disappointed to have less than an hour start to finish, but were so glad we took the time. Others on the bus chose to go shopping in an art district – look at all they missed! 😊

May 27, 2024

Welcome to Bulgaria, where yes means no and no means yes, direct eye contact is everything and the people are formal but very friendly.

We spent our morning exploring the Belogradchik Fortress, located on the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains, and its famous rocks.

The fortress was built during the Roman Empire, and it was built to last. Its foundation has walls that are 6′ thick, and 39′ high, but thanks to some naturally occurring rock formations it came with two ready-made walls.

Formed from sandstone and sediment, the Belogradchik Rock formation is a collection of interestingly shaped rock columns whose formation began approximately 230 million years ago when the tectonic cycle was creating the Balkan Mountains and elevating this region of Bulgaria. The rocks span a distance of about 19 square miles, with some formations reaching a height of 650′ or more. The formations where the fortress was built were large enough and close enough together to negate the need for walls on two sides of the fortress, so walls only had to be built on the northeast and southwest sides.

Ken climbed the stairs in the first picture below to get a better look, only to discover there were more stairs to climb. When he got to the end of those stairs, there were still more. And when he finally did reach the top, he had to navigate some pretty steep crevices to get from Point A to Point B. And, no, that’s not Pam in the picture. 😊,

But when he saw the views he thought it was totally worth it.

Meanwhile, Pam kept her feet on the ground, exploring trails and checking out the view from some of the lower lookout points. Soldiers guarding the fortress could see folks coming from a long way away, and there were plenty of secret passages for them to scurry to for a quick getaway or sneak defense.

The fortress was originally built for surveillance and defense, and according to information Pam read it later became an important stronghold, but there was no explanation of why or for whom. Wikipedia says the last time the fortress saw battle was 1885.

You now know everything we know about the Belogradchik Fortress and Rocks!

May 26, 2024

Each night while we’re at dinner our cabin steward turns down our bed and leaves the ship’s newsletter and our tickets for the next day’s excursion(s) on our bed. We always look at the tickets to remind ourselves what we signed up for almost a year ago and what time we need to be ready the next day. When we looked at our tickets last night and saw “Hike to Vistas of the Iron Gates,” we thought, “A hike? Twelve-hundred-foot elevation gain? What were we thinking????” Turns out this was one of our favorite excursions yet!

Our ship docked at the Golubac Fortress, and we were two of only fourteen individuals who signed up to climb all the way to the top of that center tower!

Before we began, our guide asked if anyone was afraid of hikes. Confirming we were all good, he set off across what was once a drawbridge, explaining the mote it covered was never intended for water. Instead, trespassers would have to navigate a pit of hungry wolves. Having managed that they would be faced with another, smaller pit full of sharp wooden spikes. Yikes!

“Oh, yeah, and by the way, is anyone afraid of snakes? We do have venomous snakes here at the fortress, so please just be on the lookout for them. That’s what this sign here means.” Snakes?!! You asked us about heights; no one said anything about snakes.

As we began our steep climb to the top up 270 less than uniform steps the wind was whipping around us. I don’t know what they were today, but our guide said 75 mph winds are quite normal here. It reminded us of both our 2017 Great Wall of China climb and our 2019 volcano encounter in Nicaragua, but considerably safer. Two additional guides joined us and the three of them spread out along the climb to be sure we arrived intact. Pam was feeling particularly grateful that daughter Kim had clued her into an incline work out a while back – great preparation for this day!

The views at the top were just as you’d expect.

It is not known who built the fortress, bit it dates back to the 13th century. Fun fact: when it was built cement was made by mixing eggs and sand. More than 300 battles were waged here (someday Pam’s going to remember to ask a guide how they know that), but it was never conquered. This is due in part to its location directly on the river, and partly because of its construction. There were nine towers in the fortress; none of them were connected to one another or the main structure, so they would have had to have been attacked individually. During restoration they found all kinds of cannonballs, some of which are scattered about the property, and more than 9,000 arrowheads. There were poison arrowheads, fire arrowheads, arrowheads of different sizes and shapes…9,000!!!

The River Danube divides what today is Romania and Serbia, but there was a time that what is now Rumania was Hungary. A heavy metal chain was thrown across the river and secured to the rock you see in the picture below. Passage was controlled by the people in the fortress, another way to protect it from an unexpected attack. The fort you see in the picture is not the fortress we were visiting. The picture was taken from our fortress; the one in the picture is across the river.

From the 1930s until 2016 or so, when reconstruction of the fortress begam, there was a main highway running through the fortress. These pictures from the Internet prove it.

Restoration of the project was largely funded by the European Union, of which Serbia is not yet a member. Check out the before (courtesy Mr. Google) and after (courtesy Mr. Ken) pictures.

Now that we’d made it up, we had to make our way back down.

Having conquered the fortress, it was time to conquer the forest. Our hour-long drive to the Iron Gate National Park would take us through 20 tunnels.

The Iron Gate is both a national park and a geopark, meaning it has both natural and historical significance. The park includes 285,000 acres, part of which is home to what is believed to have been the largest planned settlement of the monolithic age. Archaeologists have found artifacts dating as far back as 8,000 BC. Among the many species to be found here is the white-tailed, or Serbian Eagle. Their wing spans can be up to 7′ wide. Our guide showed us this picture of one with a fox. He’s told the eagle won.

Again we were rewarded with beautiful views, this time overlooking the Iron Gate Gorge.

We made one last stop before returning to the ship. Misa Anastasijevic (1803-1885) made his fortune in the salt industry, becoming the second richest man in Serbia. He came from humble beginnings and both of his parents died when he was very young, but because of his literacy he became a teacher in his hometown at age 11, and by age 14 he was serving as the Customs Officer and supervisor before beginning his own business exporting salt. At the height of his career, he employed approximately 10,000 people and had 80 ships exporting his cargo. There is a hill in this area named after him. A local wood artist has created a wonderful little place to stop, enjoy the view and a traditional snack and peruse his art before continuing down the mountain. We were served honey plum brandy, a slice of apple, goat cheese, tomato slices, a bread and cheese pie, deep fried nettle leaves (yummy!) and delicious little jam-filled cookies. So good! We could see our ship in the distance making its way to our pickup point.

Our final treat of the day was the cruise through the Iron Gates Gorge. The Gorge forms the border between Serbia and Romania. It is 83 miles long and separates the Carpathian Mountains of Serbia from the Balken Mountains in Romania. There are a series of four increasingly narrow gorges included in the Iron Gates, and both the widest point in the Danube (a little more than 1,800 feet) and the narrowest (slightly less than 500 feet) occur within this 83 miles, as does the deepest point of the river (328 feet).

In addition to the beautiful scenery, we saw a rock sculpture of Decebalus, the last king of present-day Romania. Paid for by a private citizen it took 10 years and a dozen sculptors to build. It sits on the Romania side of the water and was finished in 2004. It is positioned directly across from a plaque on the Serbian side of the Gorge commemorating the final defeat of Decebalus in 105 AD. Someone had a sense of humor.

We also saw the Mraconia Monastery, home to travelling monks. The original structure, built between 1453 and 1523 sits is underwater now; the version we see now was completed in 1993. The Monastery used to allow the monks to stay as long as they wished, but so many of them were beginning to make it their summer home the church has begun limiting the monks to 2 weeks max. You can see why they might not want to leave. It’s in a pretty sweet spot.

The reason the original church is under water is because of the dams built in 1974 and 1982. The dams were built to address problems of the modern world – river navigation, power needs, etc. – in a time when environmental, cultural, and historical impacts were an afterthought if they were considered at all. The dams built here displaced 17,000 people across seven villages/towns, buried the church underwater, caused the remnants of the monolithic settlement mentioned earlier to be lost, and drove the once prolific Baluga sturgeon (on which many people in the area based their income) to the Black Sea. The largest recorded sturgeon caught in the Danube prior to the dams being built was in 1793. It weighed 1,100 lbs. Fisherman would catch the sturgeon, harvest their eggs leaving plenty to keep the population thriving, and return them to the river. Caviar from these waters was served on the Titanic and in the White House, something this little town of 700 is quite proud of.

The dams are the largest on the Danube and among the largest hydropower producers in all of Europe. The dams have a combined 16 power generating units, equally divided between Romania and Serbia.

It’s been a full day and no doubt our thighs will be letting us know about it tomorrow!

May 25, 2024

People in Belgrade could be forgiven if they sometimes forget where they live. The largest of all of Serbia cities, and currently its capital, has been the capital of a total of nine different countries over the last 150 years. Our tour guide, Tanya, is in her mid-40s. She has lived in the same apartment all of her adult life and has had to change her address no fewer than four times – without ever stepping out her front door. Each time a new country takes over she has to get a new driver’s license, change her mailing address with anyone she does business with, learn a new national anthem, re-align her loyalties to various sports heroes who may now be from countries no longer considered friendly, etc. She and another guide who was with us for a dinner tour joked about the number of languages they speak. They grow up speaking Serbian and are required to begin learning English in the first year of school. This means they speak at least 5 languages because three of their neighbors speak the same language, or nearly the same, as they do and all call it by their local name.

Belgrade is also home to one of the most notorious cars ever built, even dubbed “the worst car in history.” Anyone know what it is? Here’s a hint…it was introduced during the Reagan era as a gas-efficient economy car. Another hint is in the pictures below.

Did you guess? The Yugo! And they’re still around! They stopped manufacturing them almost as soon as they started, but they’ve gained a bit of a cult following, kind of like the original VW Bugs, so you still see them around.

We began our day at the Belgrade Fortress, also known as Kalemegdan Park. The Fortress has been the core and oldest section of the urban area of Belgrade since Celtic times, when it housed most of the city population. It overlooks the confluence of two rivers, the River Danube and the River Sava, where our ship is docked today.

It’s easy to understand the importance of a fortress if you are going to settle in this area; its enviable position made it a popular target for invading forces. More than 115 battles are known to have been fought here over the fortress’s lifetime, and it has been restored more than 40 times. It was last reconstructed during the Habsburg’s reign in the 18th century but was heavily damaged during the air raids of WWII. In 2018 the fortress grounds and ruins were converted into a beautiful city park with a variety of sports courts, a dinosaur park for kids, lots of open green space where dogs run free and play, and a variety of venues for community activities.

At the entrance to the park stands a statue of a woman running. This is Belgrade’s Monument of Gratitude to France, built in 1930 to commemorate France’s assistance to Belgrade in WWI. The statue depicts France rushing to Serbia’s aid. It is meant to glorify France’s national spirit, evoking energy, leadership and courage. During the war France not only provided humanitarian aid, evacuating children, civilians and military personnel at the end of the war, they also provided aviators, naval support and medical staff. The importance of France’s assistance becomes even more clear when you consider that of all the countries involved in the fighting in WWI Serbia’s population took the biggest hit. They lost 52% of the men in the country, 28% of the total population.

Taking a short drive around the city we could see our next historical stop, the Church of Saint Sava, up ahead.

Saint Savas was the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a religion that was outlawed during the Ottoman Empire’s occupation of Serbia. After an unsuccessful uprising of the Serbian people against the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman ruler ordered Savas’ remains dug up and brought to the city. In a show of force, on April 27, 1595, he placed them on a public pyre and burned them. On the 300th anniversary of the burning of his remains a group came together with the idea of building a church in his honor. Construction began in 1935 and is still on-going. It has been interrupted by two world wars and Covid, but they expect to be completely finished by 2025.

Words and pictures cannot describe the beauty of this church. When you walk in it simply takes your breath away.

The dome of the church was built on the floor and then lifted into place using cranes. It weighs nearly 4,000 tons – yes, you read that right – TONS. It took 16 cranes two months to install it. The church is currently in use and can fit up to 10,000 people. The Orthodox tradition is to stand for the entirety of their service, which can last anywhere from one to three-and-a-half hours. This is why there are no pews.

We topped the sightseeing off with a traditional Serbian dinner, which was a lot of fun. Our bus took us part way, and then we walked the rest of the way on cobblestone streets to the oldest restaurant in Belgrade, where we dined on appetizers of meat, cheese, tomatoes and bread, followed by a salad of cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers. The main meal was an enormous platter of meats – sausage, chicken, beef – and roasted potatoes – a Keto dieter’s dream! There was live music and our tour guides danced in the aisles!

May 24, 2024

There is something a little…unsettling…about visiting a country whose history includes a war that began and ended during your own early adulthood – a war you were only peripherally aware of through nightly news reports on the TV – at the same time another war is currently raging on this same continent a thousand miles away. While most of the city has been restored, evidence of the Croation-Serbia war that lasted from 1991-1995 is visible in remnants of buildings that used to be or those still riddled with bullet holes. The town we docked in, Vukovar, received the greatest amount of damage, said to be the worst since WWII. It was totally leveled by the bombings; locals call it the Croation Hiroshima.

We had the great honor of being hosted in the home of a family in Laslovo, and learned about their way of life before, during and after the war. Ava is the woman in the center front of the group in the photo below, wearing the polka dot top and black pants. She speaks broken English, so her daughter, Valerie, joins her for these visits and does the talking.

Over a homemade marble cake served with delicious apricot preserves and an assortment of homemade brandies we learned that for those of Ava’s generation it is common to have a property the size of theirs, slightly narrow, but very deep, with vegetable gardens and fruit trees, their own smoke house and chickens, and, once upon a time, their own meat and dairy sources as well. Today it is cheaper for them to buy meat at the store than to raise it, but they are still largely self-sufficient. If there is something your neighbor has that you don’t, you simply trade something you have that they would like.

Ava’s garden is beautiful. They also have cherry trees and grow their own grapes. They make their own wine, brandy, preserves. According to Valerie, it was Ava who suggested to her neighbors 18 years ago they should offer these home visits to the people coming in on cruise ships. It could help them economically and give them a forum for sharing their stories of the war in an effort to keep history from repeating itself. Her neighbors thought it was a ridiculous idea – who would want to come? Today, there are 3-4 homes hosting at least two groups of 14-20 people a week for 6-7 months each year.

Valerie was seven years old, her brother 5 when one day their Serbian classmates didn’t show up to school. Two days later tanks rolled into town, soldiers entered their school carrying weapons and told the children they had 3 hours to go home, gather their things and get on the buses in front of their homes. Valerie’s dad owned his own textile company, but suddenly he was a soldier. The rest of the family was sent to Hungary, then eventually her grandmother took Valerie and her brother to a town 2-1/2 hours away, where they were considered safe. Their mom moved to another town where she worked and sent money to their grandmother. This was their life for 8 years. When they returned their home had been destroyed and their garden was littered with landmines. Their Serbian neighbors had known this was coming. They had gathered their children and their belongings, marked their homes so they would not be raided, and fled – or stayed to fight against them. The betrayal still stings. Valerie’s father suffers from PTSD, and her husband’s job is to remove landmines. They are still finding them twenty years later; they are especially hard to locate and remove in the forest and mountain areas.

Next up was a visit to the Church of the Virgin Mary, where we were treated to a piano and vocal concert from a young soprano with a beautiful voice. In addition to traditional Croation music she sang songs we knew, like “Amazing Grace” and “Hallelujah,” singing in both Croation and English. It was really nice.

Our final stop was the Old City of Osijek, located in what was once a fort. The fort was built in the years 1687-1715 to protect the town’s strategic position along the River Drava. Today it is Osijek’s administrative, cultural, and educational center. What was once a military hospital now houses the food technology school’s faculty; barracks are now music schools and apartments; the old City Guard is the agricultural school.

The fort had its own church, still in operation today, and, like so many of the cities we’ve visited before there is a memorial column dedicated to those who died during the Black Plague. The buildings in the far right of the top row are apartments. They’re in serious need of repair, but people are living in them.

Vukovar and Osijek are also home for many a stork. Their nests are huge. They can weigh up to 120 lbs, and are located on tops of chimneys, city lights, and even the Black Plague monument.

We had the afternoon to explore on our own and found this colorful sidewalk on one of the foot bridges.

Tomorrow we’ll be in Serbia to hear the other side of the story. Should be interesting.

May 23, 2024

In the central basin of Hungary lies very fertile marshland and a tiny town time has all but forgotten. The 16,000 or so Magyar descendants who live in the town of Kalocsa are working hard to remain relevant and preserve the heritage of which they are so proud.

It is not known exactly where the Magyar tribes that settled here originated from, but our guide was very clear that it is the Magyars with whom the townspeople identify, not the Europeans. Based on the traditional garb of the horsemen represented in the equestrian show we saw, our guide is probably safe in assuming his heritage is Mongolian, or at least from that same region. Pam’s research indicates that the tribes are thought to have come from the Ural Mountains, which range from the Artic Ocean to Northwest Kazakhstan. These were the first people to settle in Kalocsa, around the same time Hungary was established. This makes Kalocsa one of Hungary’s oldest towns.

Things were going along pretty well for them for a while – King Stephen established an archdiocese here, along with a school, and between education and agriculture it was kind of a big deal in Hungary. But the Turks invaded in 1529, causing people to flee and the town kind of faded away. Then, in 1602, a Calvinist Army burned the town to the ground. After 148 years of rule, the Turks left in 1686, setting fire to the castle on their way out. The archbishop returned, recovered the lands, and in 1737 the town was officially incorporated.

Forty years later there were still only 90 or so people in the town, and the peasants owned the land. Because of the clergy and the schools, the majority of them were well educated. They grew Kalocsa back into an important part of Hungary, but it never regained its earlier stature, and was essentially by-passed by the industrial developments that followed. In fact, they lost the rank of town in 1886.

They regained their rank as a town in 1921, only to be invaded by the Nazis 20 years later. If our guide is any indication this is still a very sore point for the residents of Kalocsa. Buildings used to house Nazi troops and leaders lay in ruin, serving as the grounds for paintball skirmishes and illegal marijuana gardens. If they hadn’t been built so well the people probably would have torn the ugly things down a long time ago, according to our guide. The town would much rather focus on their Magyar history, and that’s what we did, beginning with Holy Trinity Square.

Holy Trinity Square includes the Archiepiscopal Palace, built in 1760 to replace the burned down castle; the Holy Trinity Column, a tribute to St. John of Nepomuk, St. Sebastianus and St. Florian; St. Joseph Cathedral (built in 1760); and, to the right of the cathedral, the Great Seminar Building, which was built between 1757 and 1764 and is now home to the House of Culture of Kalocsa.

The church is the fourth to be built in this spot. The three statues across the top on the outside are St. Peter, St. Paul and the Virgin Mary. It doesn’t look like much on the outside, but the inside is bright and airy and one of the prettiest we’ve visited.

Its organ, built 1866-67, has 1,668 pipes that range in size from 1″ to 16’5″. It may mean something to our organ playing friends that the organ has 64 variations and only one pedal. We don’t know what any of that means, but we’re guessing it’s impressive. We were treated to a concert of five classical pieces, including two by Bach and one by DuBois.

Driving through fertile farmlands we made our way to the Bakodpusztao Equestrian Center. We were met by a csiko (pronounced chico), who escorted us through the gates and onto the property, cracking his whip all the way to let everyone know we had arrived. Oboe music followed us to the seating area, where traditional refreshments of wine, elderberry juice and white bread drizzled with honey, sprinkled with paprika and topped with slivers of red onion awaited us (it tasted pretty much like you might imagine).

The purpose of the show is to educate visitors about the early life of the Magyars in Kalocsa and the importance of the cattle and horses in those times. We began with grey cattle.

Grey cattle are very strong, resilient animals. They are able to go long distances without tiring or losing any of their weight, which made them a great commodity for the Magyars to take to European markets far away. The cattle provided a good source of income for the people of Kalocsa.

Next came the horses. The csikos carried long whips that make a cracking sound, like fireworks or gunfire, when they are snapped. They do not use the whips directly on the horses’ flesh but crack them as a form of communication. A positive effect of this is that because they were used to the sound of the whip the horses did not spook at the sound of gunfire. Csikos were considered the “aristocrats” of the peasant world; they were the only ones who could afford horses, but according to the emcee of today’s program they may also have been considered by some to be outlaws. They also drove the cattle to market and might encounter bad guys on the way. The horses didn’t spook in a gunfight, and they were taught to sit and lay down on command, so the csikos could hide in tall grass and evade capture.

The mud is so thick and difficult to navigate, the Magyars used three horses to pull their wagons. The third horse is tied directly to the back wheel.

Rich people would use four horses. They also had a second person ride along in the back, not so they could be chauffeured, but to help maintain balance on rough roads and sharp curves. As the driver sped around the arena the csiko in the back quickly moved from side to side to keep the wagon from overturning.

The horsemen also use games to train themselves and their horses. They used their whip to knock down blocks as they were galloping past, a skill that helped them when hunting small game. They galloped around the arena carrying a large glass of liquid to see who could make it back to the front of the stands with the most liquid remaining in their glass. And they played a version of Capture the Flag, where one csiko would ride holding a scarf in his mouth while it trailed behind him and the other csikos tried to ride alongside and steal it. There was a mule in the performance who stole the show, and, of course, he won this game.

The grand finale was the Lipizzaner Stallions. One man riding two horses standing up while being led by eight other horses. Talk about balance!

It was a pleasant morning, and now we are on our way to Croatia!

May 22, 2024

The sun was setting as we finished dinner on the outside dining space of the ship. The air was filled with anticipation.

Our Cruise Director, Niki, had promised a spectacular show of city lights as we left the port tonight. Budapest did not disappoint, and Ken did a great job of capturing the magic. We’ll let the pictures do the talking. Enjoy!

In order of appearance…Chain Bridge, Parliament Building, National Gallery, The White Bridge, 3 buildings we don’t know 😂, the University, and the Freedom Bridge.

Good-bye, Budapest. Thanks for the memories!

May 22, 2024

While Pam was working on the blog for Budapest Ken took a little walk, a walk that led him across the river and up the hill to that beautiful building we were admiring during dinner last night, the Hungarian National Gallery.

Originally built in 1275 as a Royal Palace, the building and its grounds lived many lives before becoming the National Gallery in the 1960s. The Gallery’s collection covers all genres of Hungarian art, including the works of many 19th and 20th century artists.

Not knowing where to enter Ken ended up wandering almost the entire grounds before he came upon a large group of Asian tourists about to enter an outside elevator. As you can see, the display space is not limited to the inside of the building. The portraits below are painted on one of the exterior walls, showcasing the talent of a particular artist.

Ken quickly joined the group of Asians, thinking no one would notice an old white guy standing a foot taller than all of them. But his ploy worked; he followed them right to the entrance of the museum, where he decided as long as he was here he’d check it out.

Here are some of his favorite things…

That last picture is the inside of a dome of the building. You’ll notice a door in the center bottom that leads outside to a viewing platform. These figures are free-falling from the ceiling in the center of the dome.

The views from the Gallery are expansive.

Ken got his steps in, enjoyed a great view and some fine art and topped it all off with a beer with Pam after she finished the blog and joined. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

May 21, 2024

As we sail into Budapest in the early morning hours, we get a small taste of the history that awaits us.

The country of Hungary is nearly the same size of our state of Indiana, but with about 3.2 million more people. History buffs may recall that it was not always so small. There seems to be some disagreement on what exactly caused WWI (some suggest Serbia initiated it by assassinating the sovereign of Hungary in a quest for independence); what we know for sure is that the 1920 Treaty of Trianon helped end it. This agreement between Hungary and the Allied Powers called for, among other things, the withdrawal of the Central Powers (of which Hungary was a member) from occupied lands and required Hungary to give up two-thirds of its territories. The treaty confirmed the idea of the right for self-determination and the concept of nation states replacing old, multi-national empires, which is what Serbia was looking for.

Budapest is Hungary’s capital and largest city. It is the combination of what were once two separate cities, Buda and Pest, officially united into one in 1873. Funny thing, no one seems to have told those who live here. They still refer to themselves as two separate entities, and joke about which one is better. Between the two of them they boast the world’s second largest synagogue, its largest geothermal cave system (with eighty geothermal springs), and the third largest parliament building. We visited two of these three treasures.

Construction on the Hungarian Parliament building began in 1896 to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of Hungary becoming a state. With 691 rooms ten courtyards, and twelve-and-a-half miles of stairs it is Hungary’s largest building, the tallest in Budapest and the third largest parliament building in the world. It is modeled after Westminster Abbey and was intended to demonstrate Hungary’s commitment to Western Europe. Little did they know that just ten short years later that commitment would be severely tested by the events of WWI.

The Dohany Street Synagogue, located on the Buda side of the city, was built by the Jewish people of the city between 1854-1859. It is the largest synagogue in Europe and one of the largest working synagogues in the world. It is also the only synagogue to have a pipe organ (Pam could not find an explanation of why it has one; our guide told us that for a time the synagogue had been converted into a Catholic church. Pam couldn’t find anything on the web to support this claim, but if true that could explain the organ) and a cemetery. The Torah requires cemeteries be built outside city limits, but the events of WWII interfered with the ability of the Jewish community to do so.

The synagogue was bombed by a pro-Nazi part in 1939 and used as a German radio base and horse stable in WWII. It was located within the boundaries of the Jewish Ghetto in 1944-45, when more than 2,000 Jews died from cold and starvation. The Jews could not leave the city to bury their dead. This necessitated the creation of a cemetery at the synagogue.

The entry is made of sandstone.

The main body of the synagogue takes your breath away.

We climbed some back stairs for a different perspective.

The synagogue stands the old City Council building. The area is surrounded by a magnificent wall best viewed from below.

We rode on the bus on the way up to the church but opted to walk down. It was a great walk. We crossed back over the bridge where our ship is parked (you’d expect it to be called the Lion’s bridge, but it’s actually called the Chain Link Bridge because when it’s lit up at night it looks like chain links), and were able to see all three of the bridges of Budapest we’d passed under during our arrival.

Before going to the synagogue we did a city tour that took us past Heroes’ Square, where we could see Matthias Church and the Millenium Monument.

We also drove past the House of Terror. Previously home to the Hungarian Secret Service, it is now a museum of and memorial to the fascist and communist regimes that once controlled the city and those who were detained, interrogated, tortured, or killed within the building. Outside is a piece of the Berlin Wall and an iron chain wall representing the Iron Curtain.

There are many memorial statues in and around Budapest – too many to mention. Here’s a sampling. The first looks like an eagle, but is actually a Turul, a mythological bird of prey representing a protector spirit. It was the clan symbol of the ruling dynasty in the 9th and 10th centuries and is now the national symbol of Hungary.

The second picture is St. Ivan, a hermit who lived in the caves of Budapest who is thought to have given healing powers to the area’s thermal springs.

Last, but not least, is Lady Liberty, commemorating those who sacrificed their lives for the independence, freedom, and prosperity of Hungary.

We had dinner at a wonderful traditional Budapest fish restaurant on the water. It was so good! We had a beautiful view of the Hungarian National Art Gallery.

We were supposed to go on a tour of Budapest at night, but as you can see from the picture of the gallery there was a storm rolling in. Instead we got back to the ship just in time and were treated to a great thunderstorm, completing with a little bit of rolling thunder and lightning strikes across the water!

May 20, 2024

About 50 miles east of Vienna sits Bratislava, the capital city of Slovakia. Since gaining its independence from Czechoslovakia in 1992 its economy has grown, and they are currently under the governance of their first female president.

Bratislava is known for its unique UFO bridge restaurant and quirky bronze statues. The UFO bridge restaurant is located 278 feet above Bratslava’s New Bridge. It gained fame because of its unique shape. People bungie jump from it during the summer, and its bathroom floors are clear glass, allowing you to see straight down to the ground below while taking care of business. Strange.

Two of the statues that stand out as you walk through Old Town are the Leaning Man and the Working Man. There’s a story that goes with the Leaning Man that suggest it is modeled after a French soldier who fell in love with a local girl. He had to return to his homeland, but promised he would return and marry her. He kept his word, but when he came back, he couldn’t find her. He’s still waiting today.

The only thing we know about the Working Man is that his smile grows wider in the summer because he enjoys looking at all the bare legs of the ladies.

The main focus of our visit was the Bratislava Castle, built in 1712. It served as the royal residence for about 300 years, and is built on the site of the first known Bratislava settlement that existed 2500 years ago. The statues on the gates represent the spoils of war.

You can see three countries from the castle – to the left is Austria, to the right Hungary and Slovakia is in the middle.

There is a huge well on the property.

The Old Town contains some interesting bits of history. There’s a plaque in the walkway commemorating the lives lost during the period of witch trials; gold crowns imbedded in the road mark the coronation route; and one of the houses has ma cannon ball planted in its front facade just to the upper left of a marker. During the Napoleonic wars home were destroyed by some of the cannon fire. The ruler declared if your house had a cannon ball in it you would be exempt from taxes for a period of time so you could use that money to rebuild or repair your home.

In the center of the oldest entrance to the city is a bronze map indicating how far and in what direction major cities are located from Bratislava.

The old town square was the place to be. It’s where the latest news was shared, warnings were broadcast, and executions were held. The fountain in the center is dedicated to the city’s first coronated king.

And now we can say we’ve been to Slovakia!

Shout out to Raelanna and Raeliaha Cumbie who are taking excellent care of Sophie and the house while we’re away.

May 19, 2024

After a quick trip back to the ship for lunch we were off again, this time for a behind-the-scenes visit to the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.

The Spanish Riding School of Vienna has been teaching students and horses the Renaissance tradition of “Haute Ecole” (high school) classical dressage for more than 450 years. We did not get to see a performance, and were not allowed to take pictures of the horses themselves (with one exception), but it was still a memorable experience.

We traveled by bus to the city center, then continued on foot, passing by the Opera House, a statue of the River God, Danubius, and parts of the city wall, before stopping to wait for others to join us under a huge domed archway. Observing how beautifully decorated the interior of the archway was we asked what its history/use was. “Nothing,” was the answer. “This is just the way they did things then (when it was built).” Crazy!

As we walked, our guide told us the story of how General Patton helped save the Lipizzaner horses during WWII. As the school tells it, Patton and the Austrian responsible for caring for the horses during the war, Col. Alois Podhajsky, had met during the Olympics, where they both competed in equestrian events. One of Patton’s units had captured the area where the horses were being kept during the war, and Podhajsky arranged a performance for Patton. He then asked Patton for help protecting the animals. Patton immediately agreed and Operation Cowboy was born. American GIs fought alongside German soldiers, Russian Cossacks, former British POWs, and Polish fighters to fend off SS attacks and drive the Lipizzaner herd to safety. Approximately 500 horses were saved, and the tradition of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna was preserved.

We began our tour in the outside stables. This was our one and only opportunity to take pictures of the horses themselves, and only one of the three that were being housed there was interested. We were not allowed to pet any of the horses or touch anything. The horses are kept in very isolated and well-guarded conditions, making them susceptible to illness or disease from outside germs.

We visited the tack room, where all of the riders’ gear is stored. Each horse has two sets of tack; the black saddles are used for training and the white saddles are for performing. Each saddle is custom made and specifically fitted to the horse. They are re-fitted several times throughout the year to ensure the fit remains comfortable for the horse.

Only stallions are chosen for the school. This is because they have a more competitive personality. The school has room for 71 horses and usually has 65-68 at this location. They have another location in the western part of Austria. They use the current stable of stallions as studs for their mares. Each year about 40 foals are born; males and females are separated, and the males are taken into the mountains where they can develop strong muscles on the steep hills and enjoy the grasses and running space of large meadows.

When the foals are 3-4 years old, they will be considered for the school. The school will choose 5-6 horses and sell the rest. They are first taught how to pull a carriage and then move on from there. It takes 4-8 years to train a horse, depending on the learning style and abilities of the horse, so most are 10-11 years old by the time they actually begin performing. Horses will perform until they are 24 years old or so, but only as long as they seem to be enjoying it. Life expectancy for a Lipizzaner is 33-35, much longer than most other horses. Their oldest performing horse was 27 when he retired and lived to 49. They attribute the long life of the horses to how well they are treated and how much the horses enjoy their life.

As we said earlier, we didn’t get to see a show, but Ken captured these images from a movie we were shown.

Jockies must be between 16 and 24 years old, no taller than 5’7″, and have at least some experience with dressage. About half the riders are women. There is no mandatory retirement age; most ride until they are at least 65.

Horses and riders are paired based on personality and remain together throughout the horse’s career. One rider may have as many as ten horses, but the horses will have only one rider.

Every horse is taken out for a walk for about an hour a day. They may use the walking stalls below, or walk through the Royal Gardens.

The arena is gorgeous. When it’s not being used for a performance, it may be used for balls, concerts, political events. The first assembly of Parliament was held here, Ferrari launched the Spider, and Arnold Schwarzenegger hosted a climate summit.

After our tour of the arena we were treated to a carriage ride which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Our return to the bus took us through the Vienna Rose Gardens. It was late afternoon and there were two men playing music as we entered, creating the perfect ambiance.

We had just enough time to change and grab dinner before heading out to a concert. What we thought was going to be a philharmonic-type concert in a large hall turned out to be a 5-piece string concert with performances by a male and female opera star and a ballet duo. We were not allowed to take pictures of the performers or the concert, but you can see what a beautiful venue it was. We do not usually listen to Beethoven and Mozart or attend the opera or ballet, but this was wonderful, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

May 19, 2023

We have never seen so many beautiful buildings in one place, so Pam was shocked when she Googled “Most Beautiful Cities,” and found New York on this list but not Vienna. As far as we are concerned it definitely deserves the title.

Vienna has a long history as an important center of culture, serving as the home of some of the most storied classical composers, artists , actors and directors and scientists of the 18th and 19th centuries. Mozart, Beethoven, Shubert, Gustav Klimt, Hedy Lamar, Otto Preminger, Klaus Maria Brandauer (Never Say Never Again, Out of Africa), Anna Freud (daughter of Sigmund), and, of course, the Vienna Boys Choir all call(ed) Vienna home. It is also home to a vast number of Gothic and Baroque-style buildings that make it such a beautiful city to visit.

We didn’t get to go inside any of these magnificent structures, but there was still much to see, beginning with the St. Francis of Assissi Church, better known as the Mexican or Emperor’s Jubilee Church to the locals.

The church was a “gift” to the emperor to celebrate his 50th year on the throne. It is located in the Mexican Square, so named in recognition that Mexico was the only country to oppose the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany.

Our tour took us around the Ring Road, constructed where the city walls used to stand. The original city walls were built in the 13th century and were paid for in large part with the ransom earned for the release of Richard the Lionhearted (remember him from yesterday’s post?). Over the years, the walls became deteriorated and obsolete and were eventually replaced with boulevards. In the late 1800s many government buildings were erected along these avenues. Because of its architectural beauty and history, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One look at the Vienna Parliament building gives you a sense of what you’re in for. And then there’s the City Hall that looks much more like a church than a government building…

Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty, one of the most influential ruling families in Vienna’s history. Built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards, it is located in the center of town and includes seventeen courtyards, a number of entrances and a huge complex of buildings. The area in front of the castle, where we are standing, is known as “Hero’s Square.” The square is named for two Austrian war heroes.

The “adornments” along the top and on the corners are more than life-size. They are enormous and so beautifully done.

The clock tower at the end of the courtyard has a lunar clock from the 1600s, a modern clock (sorry, I don’t know what the technical term is), and a sun dial. One of them is bound to be right, don’t you think?

We exited this courtyard through what was once a drawbridge, and even the ceiling of that was a work of art.

From there it was on to the City Library, home to more than 200,000 books and open to the public. The golden globes on top symbolize the universe; the message the artist is sending is that everything that could possibly be known about the universe can be found in the library.

You can’t see it in these pictures, but the left side of the library is attached to a church where we were told the hearts of Habsburg family members are encased in silver urns and kept in a royal crypt. Their internal organs are encased in gold urns and maintained in another church, and their bodies are buried in a royal crypt in yet a third location. There are a couple of theories about why this might be. First, when an individual died in battle it was not always possible to transport the body home, so his comrades would cut out his heart for the family to bury when the army returned. A second possibility is that the royals thought that being in three separate churches would give them a greater chance of getting into Heaven. We’re not so sure we believe any of it!

Next up: the Museums of Art (below on the left) and History (below on the right). The Museum of History owns 30 million artifacts, only 1% of which are on display in the massive museum you see below.

One of the most influential rulers in Austria’s history was a woman, Maria Theresa Habsburg. She ascended to the throne at the age of 23, upon the death of her father, and was the only woman to ever hold the position in her own right. Everyone thought she would cede power to her husband and eldest son, but she did not.

Just 23-years-old when she came into power many underestimated her abilities. Her father had died suddenly from eating poison mushrooms, leaving her a weakened and impoverished state. Some territories had already begun to reject his sovereignty and at least one was quick to launch a military attack upon his death. But Maria Theresa surprised everyone with her acumen and courage. She promulgated institutional, financial, medical and educational reforms (she encouraged the development of a smallpox vaccine and mandated its use and introduced compulsory education), promoted business and agriculture, reorganized the army and improved Austria’s international standing. As if all this weren’t enough, she did it while delivering 16 children in 19 years (whew! just the thought of that exhausts me!) – 10 of whom survived into adulthood – and dealing with a philandering husband who fathered at least 50 (!) more children with various other women. Another little tidbit? One of those surviving children was Marie Antoinette who would become the last queen of France prior to the French Revolution.

In the Great Plague of 1679 (now believed to have been the Bubonic Plague) Vienna lost one third of its population. King Leopold I fled the city and promised to build a “mercy column” of God would just take the illness away. When the plague ended, he kept his word, but what began as a simple column soon evolved into a very complex story board. The end result is the Plague Column erected in 1683 whose basic message is that both the plague and a second siege by the Ottomans were punishments for the sins of the people and it was only King Leopold I’s religious devotion, spirituality and prayers that saved them all. Few people were able to read at the time, so they relied on statues and paintings to tell them the story. Looking at this one we think it might have been easier to teach them to read. The intricacies in the craftsmanship are impressive but there’s a LOT going on here.

Our last stop was the St. Steven’s Cathedral. Built in the 12th century it is Vienna’s largest church. It was never destroyed in war, however there was a fire inside the church during WWII, and because of the bombings the city’s water supply had been interrupted, so the fire did substantial damage to the wooden roof. It was replaced with the beautiful tile roof you see here.

Afterwards, we had some free time to explore on our own. There wasn’t time to go inside the church (there was a really big line), so we checked out the little holiday market, satisfied Pam’s craving for fries, and toasted the beautiful day.

The Austrian’s give new meaning to a waffle cone.

May 18, 2024

Making our way further down the Danube towards our next stop in Krems, it’s easy to understand why Niki is so proud of his heritage. It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful place, and history is everywhere you look. This is Austria’s white wine region. Wineries cover the hillsides, and every other nook and cranny where they can fit them.

There are castles all around us, and Niki recounted stories and history faster than I could take notes. But one I do remember involves King Richard the Lionhearted and Robinhood.

As we passed the town of Dürnstein, Austria, Niki pointed out the castle where Richard was held captive by King Leopold, Duke of Austria. The year was 1192, the two men had served together in the Third Crusade, and Leopold suspected Richard of having his cousin killed. The pope excommunicated Leopold for imprisoning a fellow crusader, and Leopold eventually turned Richard over to the Holy Roman Emperor, who continued to keep Richard imprisoned until he was rescued by Robinhood three weeks later. You’ve all seen the 1938 film “The Adventures of Robinhood,” right? Legend has it that King Richard met Robinhood during an archery match when the king and his men dressed up as friars to compete. After seeing Robinhood and his men shoot the king revealed his true identity and offered Robinhood and his men a place in his service and he accepted. Good thing for the king that he did!

Niki tells us you can take a ferry across the river for about the price of a half loaf of bread.

Our final stop of the day was Krems, Austria, where several of our fellow passengers were scheduled to do a wine tour. We had opted out of the tour and planned instead to check out the town. It was just beginning to rain as we left the ship, a rain we though would pass quickly. The longer we walked through the Old Town, the harder it rained, so we eventually called it quits and headed back to the shuttle bus. Of course, as soon as the bus drove away it quit raining. 😂

May 18, 2024

We’ve arrived in the homeland of our Cruise Director, Niki Nicholas, and the joy and pride he feels being here is infectious. Ken started is morning at the Melk Abbey while Pam caught up on the blog, and then we journeyed into town together for some of the most delicious pork we ever put in our mouths!

Pam’s day started with sneak peak of the Abbey, visible through the early morning mist, just as we exited our latest lock.

In the 11th century, Leopold II of Babenberg gifted what was then a palace to the Benedictine monks, who turned it into a fortified abbey. The current version of the abbey was created in 1702-1736, but the monastic community to which it belongs has been around for more than 900 years. Today it oversees 23 parishes, most located far away, and continues its commitment to community through both its educational activities and a variety of social programs. Black-robed monks still stroll the grounds, alongside the 700 students who attend its prestigious monastery school, and 930 or so students who attend the now state-subsidized secondary school. Niki, our Cruise Director attended secondary school here, but lasted only nine months before getting kicked out (he says the Catholics weren’t ready for him). 😂

Since 1966 the abbey has operated an exchange program with the American Benedictine School of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville Township, MN.

The first picture below was taken near the bridge where we were standing in the first picture of today’s post. To gain entrance to the interior of the abbey you have to walk through a couple courtyards (there are several) before you find the stairs that will lead you into the abbey itself. Taking pictures inside is strictly forbidden, but you know Ken. He managed to get a few anyway – and didn’t get caught.

This model gives you a sense of how large the grounds are.

The abbey contains many valuable pieces of art. The crucifix in the second picture is thought to date back earlier than the 1200s. What appears to be a gold face is said to contain the top of the head of a female saint, probably St. Agnes of Bohemia, who died in 1282. In the second row of photos, you see a cross whose center holds a splinter from the actual cross on which Christ was crucified.

The views from the church, overlooking the cliff, are spectacular.

It is hard to say which is more grand, the library, which owns more than 100,000 works of art, including 1,800 manuscripts dating back to the 9th century – mostly sermons and devotional literature – only 16,000 of which are on display…

or the cathedral…

All of this found in the unassuming town of Melk.

After a delicious lunch, we found our way back to the ship via a quiet little trail.

May 17, 2024

What would America be without Salzburg, producer of our favorite flavor-enhancing mineral, filming location of the beloved American musical, “The Sound of Music,” and home to one gentleman who forever changed the world of music, and another who’s contributions to the world of science now make it possible to predict the weather?

Situated along the banks of the Salzach river, Salzburg’s name is derived from the barges that used to carry salt along the river – Salz = salt; burg = castle.

So long ago salt was considered so precious it was referred to as White Gold. Salzburg’s oldest mine, Hallein Salt Mine, has been continuously worked for more than 2600 years.

We began our tour at the Mirabell Gardens, built around 1606 by the Prince Archbishop. The palace was said to be “illegal” because it was built outside the city walls. As if that weren’t scandalous enough, it was built by the Prince Archbishop for his MISTRESS! A mistress with whom he had 17 (!!!) children. I guess it’s not the marital relations that are a no-no for the Archbishop; it’s legalizing those relations that’s the problem. To make the story all the better, she was the daughter of a pub owner.

These gardens provided the backdrop for the children singing “Do-Re-Mi” in the Sound of Music. They danced around the garden, and made their way up the steps in front of the rose garden, taking one step for each note.

We’re told the Austrians were less than thrilled to have the Americans here filming the movie. They had not yet come to terms with their Nazi past, a central theme in the movie, and it seemed a bit contradictory for America to be making a movie about the inequities of war right when it was embroiled in its own questionable actions in Vietnam.

Young Mozart lived within a stone’s throw of the palace in his teen years and it is supposed he made many a visit while he was here. He was born across the river, in the center of town (shown in the photo on the left), one of seven children, only two of whom survived, but moved nearer to the palace when he was 17 (photo on the right). His family rented the bottom floor.

Ironic that Salzburg takes such pride in Mozart now. He was always viewed a genius, playing his first concert as a child prodigy at age 6, but he was run out of town because he was a bit of a music rebel. He didn’t follow the musical conventions of the time; our guide referred to him as the precursor to rock stars, experimenting with all types of compositions. He moved to Vienna where he died of rheumatic fever just shy of his 35th birthday. At the time of his death, he had composed more than 800 works of art representing nearly every western classical genre of his time.

Just down the hill from Mozart is the home of Christian Doppler, esteemed Austrian mathematician and physicist who identified something known as the Doppler Effect. Doppler was born about ten years after Mozart’s death. I won’t go into the details of what the Doppler Effect is, but I will tell you that its impact has been far-reaching and continues today. It has led to advancements in astronomy, radar systems, medical imaging, GPS and satellite communications, and current profilers, which measure water flow velocity in rivers, oceans and other bodies of water. Most of us are most familiar with it through the Doppler Radar readings cited every night on our local news.

Before crossing the bridge into town we stopped to admire the hotels that housed Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews while they filmed the Sound of Music. Plummer and many of the other members of the cast stayed in the hotel on the left. Julie Andrews had just become a new mother, and she and her family stayed at the hotel on the right, where she has said she often felt ostracized from the rest of the gang.

We learned that it is not uncommon for a pair of lederhosen, the traditional men’s leather shorts you see on the manikin, to cost more than $1,000. But people will pay it because they are made to last. One of our earlier guides was wearing his dad’s lederhosen, and his dad would wear his grandfather’s. If you look closely at the woman’s dress on the female manikin, you’ll see a bow tied to the dress’s left. Tradition says if the bow is tied on the right, the woman is single; tied on the left, she is married; tied in the middle? It’s up for discussion. There are lots of clubs in Austria and Bavaria and every club has their own uniform based on this type of traditional dress that they wear on special occasions and in holiday parades.

On the way to St. Peter’s Monastery, we passed by this lion representing Austria’s strength in trade with Venice, and Mozart’s Concert Hall. The Hall was originally built as a stable for the archbishop’s horses. There was an organ in the area above the door and every time the horses came out the organ played. Today it is just what its name suggests – a concert hall.

We walked around the grounds of St. Peter’s Monastery.

Then St. Peter’s Cathedral before having time on our own.

During our free time we snagged some “original” Mozart Balls, a local speciality invented in 1703, then visited the cemetery of St. Peter’s. It’s very unique. Stones we could read dated as far back as the 1700s and as recent as 2022, but there were many stones too worn to read that we’re sure dated much further back.

And, of course, here’s Ken doing what Ken does…

We finished the day with dinner in the oldest restaurant in Europe, St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, built in 803. We were treated to a traditional Austrian meal of roasted chicken, polenta and root vegetables, and a desert that consisted of three giant dollops of toasted meringue with a very bitter berry compote on the bottom. During our meal we were serenaded with music from the Sound of Music by a small opera company with beautiful voices taking on the characters of the movie. We were less impressed with the food than we were the building. It has a variety of private meeting rooms with differing themes. Two are actually built directly into the mountain and one small one even has a dog bed in it!

May 16, 2024

Our day in Regensburg was followed by an entertaining night on the ship. As always, the scenery is beautiful, and tonight we got a special treat – a viewing of Walhalla.

Both pictures were taken from the ship as we glided by. We were fortunate to have seen the monument from our dinner table, but many missed it. Our Cruise Director, Niki, could not point it out because of a Viking rule that no announcements are to be made during the dinner hour unless it is an emergency. A huge history buff who is not easily thwarted, Niki found out we were going to have to stop to wait for traffic in the lock ahead. Shortly after dinner finished, he asked the captain if he would back the ship up so everyone could see Walhalla. The captain was happy to oblige. Such is the service of this Viking crew, always ready and anxious to accommodate to be sure everyone has the best possible experience.

Walhalla was the brainchild of 20-year-old King Ludwig I. According to Wikipedia:

“By 1806 Napoleon‘s First French Empire had annexed German lands along the Rhine River and the North Sea…The War of the Fourth Coalition (1806–1807) pitted German forces on both sides against each other, and Napoleon again prevailed.

In 1807, 20-year-old Crown Prince Ludwig of the Kingdom of Bavaria …had the idea of reminding all Germans of their common heritage – of the great figures and events in ethnic German history…”

When Walhalla opened in 1842, 102 great German minds were honored – 24 of whom were female! King Ludwig I was very forward thinking!

Later in the evening we were treated to traditional German music, provided by a hilarious couple of guys who did a great job of encouraging audience participation.

Jasenko served everyone complimentary beers on the House.

We’re having such a great time, but we still miss our Sophie girl…

May 16, 2024

The picturesque town of Regensburg is one of Europe’s best-preserved cities. Tucked away in the hills of Bavaria, Regensburg was the site of the world’s first stone bridge, for centuries the only bridge over the Danube River between Ulm, Germany and Vienna, Austria. This allowed Regensburg to become a major center of trade and government.

The bridge took eleven years to build – break-neck speed for the time. Legend has it that the bridge builder was in competition with the gentleman building the cathedral you see in the distance. The bridge builder could see that the cathedral was getting done more quickly than the bridge, and no matter how hard they tried it was clear his men would not be able to get the bridge done first. So, what to do? Well, the church obviously had God on their side, so the bridge builder had no choice but to turn to the devil. The devil was happy to oblige. He just asked one small thing in return – three souls. The bridge builder happily agreed, and indeed, the bridge was finished before the cathedral. Opening day arrived and the mayor excitedly asked to be the first to cross. “Oh no!” cried the builder. “First we must make sure it is safe for you.” He grabbed two chickens from a near-by merchant and threw them onto the bridge. A dog immediately ran after them, and once they crossed the bridge the builder, knowing his debt to the devil had been paid, happily invited the mayor to cross. The devil is said to have been furious; he knew that he’d been played. He dove into the river in a rage and remains there to this day, making all the little swirls we see in the water.

Entering the city, we were greeted by the Gladiator building. The depiction of David and Goliath casts Regensburg as the David against the Goliath that is all of Germany. It is a reminder to its visitors that although Regensburg is small, it is wealthy and has a connection to the emperor that makes it mighty. The residents of Regensburg were able to leverage their importance to trade to become quite wealthy. When others needed money, including those in power, they turned to the good people of Regensburg. This bought Regensburg influence with the emperor, who granted them independence.

We walked through the shop quarter into the wealthier part of town. The building in the photo below encompassed four sides and once housed just one family. Today it provides subsidized housing for fifty university students. Where a tree now stands there was once a well. As a wealthy family, they would have had a bathroom, too; it would have been situated right next to the well. You can guess the outcome of that – the well water would be contaminated, so people couldn’t drink it. If you were wealthy and had the land you could have cows or goats and provide milk for your family, but for most people this meant they drank a lot of wine – a half gallon or more per day, including kids – and beer.

The major landmark in the town is St. Peters Cathedral (also known as the Regensburg Cathedral). Construction began in 1280 and in 1520 the church was finally completely finished and ready for use. Two-hundred-forty years…the end result is quite impressive.

As you can see, it’s quite dark inside. The columns are massive, and the ceilings very high. Because of its age and size the exterior is in constant repair, thus the scaffolding. It has been removed only once in the last 20 years or more – when the Pope came to town and everything had to look perfect!

Regensburg is a beautiful town, with wonderful old buildings still in use. I’m sure these buildings have their challenges, but it would be kinda cool to come to work to this building every day…assuming you didn’t get tripped up by the signs…

There’s an interesting tale associated with one of Regensburg’s most famous sons. Perhaps you’ll recognize him in the story of Barbara and the emperor. Barbara was the daughter of an impoverished nobleman. She had an affair with the emperor, who had been widowed years earlier. Not so surprising she found herself pregnant. The emperor was good enough to recognize the child as his own. To avoid scandal Barbara was married to an officer of the court. The emperor ensured his illegitimate son received the best education and gave Barbara a life-long stipend. In time the boy became a man. He was anxious to serve in the military, and after his father’s death there was no one standing in his way. He did well in the military, quickly advancing to the position of Commander of the Holy League, reporting to his half-brother who had become emperor after their father’s death. The young man was quite attractive and was said to have a way with the ladies. This made his half-brother a bit jealous. He sent the young man to a remote location in the Spanish Netherlands, where he contracted syphilis and died at the age of 31. To ensure that the young man could receive a proper burial and gain entrance to heaven, his half-brother had his body cut into pieces and secretly returned backed to Regensburg in a number of different shipments, where it was reassembled and laid to rest.

Do you know who it is? It is Don Juan! Did you think he was just a fictional character of Mexican lore? Turns out there was a real Don Juan, Don John of Austria. 😉

The most impressive building in Regensburg would have to be the Thurn and Taxis Castle. It served as the Benedictine Abbey of St. Emmeram from 739 – 1812, when it was given to the princes of Thurn and Taxis. The family had made its fortune delivering both private and official mail throughout the Holy Roman Empire. They had used the proceeds from this endeavor to diversify into a number of other enterprises, but the postal service was their bread and butter. After the fall of the Roman Empire the Spanish and German postal services began taking over the areas Thurn and Taxis had previously serviced. In 1808 the King of Bavaria made an agreement with the princes, granting them title to several now-defunct abbeys, including the Regensburg abbey in which they were already living, as compensation for the loss of their postal revenues.

The castle is still owned by and inhabited by the Thurn and Taxis family. It is the world’s largest occupied residence – even bigger than Buckingham Palace. The most modern heirs, Prince Johannes and Princes Gloria (known in the press as Princess “TNT” because of her last name and personality) are said to have lived a very wild and lavish life. But when Prince Johannes died in 1990, Gloria ran into some financial difficulty and ended up bargaining with the government to open sections of the castle for public use in exchange for tax relief. Today you can tour the Benedictine cloister, the treasury, stable carriage houses, ballroom and more. The family still lives there, but other sections are used as an event center, a museum, a home for the elderly and a soup kitchen.

It was a beautiful day for a walk!

May 15, 2024

Today, after leaving Nuremberg, we reached the “top” of the river, going through the biggest locks of our journey. Gaining almost 80′ elevation while sitting on a boat is a pretty amazing experience! The lock gets more and more narrow the further into it you go.

A line is tied onto a “bollard” that helps keep the boat stable as it rises in the water. As the lock fills with water and the boat is lifted up, the bollard travels up the wall with the boat. There is one on each side.

The numbers on the wall indicate the water level. The top number in this picture is 24 meters – just shy of 80′ – and that’s the number we hit.

Our young Captain spoke with us briefly earlier in the afternoon and confirmed that when the boat enters the lock it has only 6″ between the boat and the lock on each side.

The views on the other side were beautiful!

May 15, 2024

Today’s port brought back many happy memories for us. Has it really been ten (!) years since we last visited these same sights with our good friends Keith and Kathy Snider?

Nuremberg then, and now…

It was a bit colder in November 2014 – we were all freezing! So much nicer to visit on a warm and sunny May day!

The written history of Nuremberg dates back to 1050, but for many the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of its name are the famous Nuremberg Trials. It was with this history we began our tour. We did not get out and visit any of these sites, just drove past. I think maybe it’s Germany’s way of telling us we don’t want to celebrate this time in our history, but we must never forget it, either, lest we repeat it.

We drove past Zeppelin Field, the site of six Nazi Rallies between the years 1933-38, the Congress Hall (built to resemble the Greek Coliseum it can hold up to 50,000 people), and a building that once served as a Nazi barracks for Jewish prisoners. The great irony is that today that same building serves as the Nuremberg Federal Office of Immigration and Refugees. What Hitler intended for bad, God intended for good!

And finally, the Hall of Justice where in 1945-46 the International Military Tribunal held 24 Nazi leaders accountable for war crimes committed during the Holocaust.

From there we made our way to the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, considered one of Europe’s most formidable fortresses. Along the way we passed sections of the old city wall and some of the towers used to protect it. These walls date back to the 12th century and cover about 2-1/2 miles. You’ll notice in the first picture that there appear to be two walls. That space in between was meant for a moat that was never filled with water – but it was nice to have, just in case.

The square towers were the first line of defense, to see who was approaching the city. Seventy-one of these towers remain and many are in use as private homes, art studios, associations, youth centers, etc.

There are three round towers. These were the watch towers for the castle.

Entering from the back of the castle, we could see why it is considered one of the most formidable. You would have to approach from the rear to attack, climbing a very steep hill clearly visible from the tower you see in the background of the first picture. Then you would have to make your way through the tunnel and across the empty moat dodging a bombardment of burning bales of hay and buckets of excrement from the openings above.

The holes in the bricks are from the original construction process. Holes were drilled into the stone, a rope was threaded through it, attached to a crane, and then the stone was lifted into place.

Above the arch to the courtyard of the residence are the official coats of arms. Even today if you receive an official letter from the City of Nuremberg it will contain these emblems.

Despite the impressive size of the castle that you can see from the courtyard, it only had seven inhabitable rooms. During the Middle Ages Kings and Emperors (fun fact: Holy Roman Emperors were kings that had been coronated by the Pope) didn’t actually live in their castles. They didn’t have capital cities or primary residences; they spent their time traveling between their conquered lands and castles, usually staying no more than 2-3 months in each.

The tower you see in the third picture, middle row, was the last refuge for the emperor if there was an attack. It contained a door on the side that could only be reached with a ladder and was always stocked, just in case.

The castle is all the more impressive when you consider it was initially built in the year 1,000 AD, and is built directly into the sandstone surrounding it.

Our tour continued through the old town square, past city hall and the 13th century Church of St. Sebald.

We ended in the current town square, where we found the daily farmer’s market, the Church of our Lady, and Schöner Brunnen, or the Beautiful Fountain.

The fountain was built between 1385 and 1396. Its forty figures are meant to represent the world view of the Holy Roman Empire, what made it great: philosophy, the seven liberal arts, four evangelists, four church fathers, seven prince electors, nine worthies, Moses, and seven prophets. Isn’t it interesting there’s no representation of Christ?

There are two gold rings, one on either side of the fountain. Make a wish for anything but money, turn the ring three times and your wish will be granted!

May 14, 2024

As we approached Bamburg we marveled again at our good fortune with the weather. Research done in preparation for packing had suggested we would be experiencing 60-degree temperatures during this portion of our trip, but we’ve had nothing but sunny 70’s since we got on the boat and today is no different.

We reminisced about the last time we were here with our friends Keith and Kathy Snider (could it really have been 10 years ago?!) and tried smoked beer (😝).

Pulling into the dock we were surprised to see these guys hanging out in an industrial area, but they seem pretty comfortable.

After a short bus ride into town, we met our guide and began making our way to…wait for it…the Bamburg Cathedral (you were expecting something else?). Here are some of the sites along the way.

Welcome to Bamburg’s “Little Venice.” Those of you who’ve been will agree that it looks nothing like the real thing, but it’s called this because, like Venice, the homes are built on wood above the river. There was a time when this was the worst part of town to be in. The long building with the boat parked in front of it was once the local slaughterhouse. It had a trap door in the floor where all of the waste from the day – blood, internal organs, fat – would be deposited into the river. Eww! Today this is some of the most coveted real estate in Bamburg. Beautiful views and you can boat right up to your house!

Bamburg’s Town Hall has a unique location. The original Town Hall built in 1386 burned down in a fire in 1460. The townspeople, who had recently attempted an unsuccessful uprising against the bishop and were looking to reconcile, generously offered to rebuild it. The bishop was worried the townspeople would use such a building to plot another uprising. He gave them permission to rebuild but refused to give them land. The clever townspeople said, “Fine! We’ll build it in the river!” And they did!

Note the cherub’s leg sticking out of the painting of the façade. These people certainly had a sense of humor.

There’s a slalom course laid out in the river next to the old Town Hall. Kayakers use it for training on Sunday mornings.

And here we have The Blue Lion, a brew pub operation since 1405 and famous for its smoked beer. We still haven’t gotten the taste out of our mouths from 10 years ago. No need to stop in again this time. 😂

Finally, we arrived at the Cathedral!

Built in 1235 the cathedral has two big claims to fame:

1) It houses the only Papal tomb north of the Alps. Pope Clemente II was a local bishop who so enjoyed Bamburg he asked that he be buried there. When he passed away after having been pope for just 12 months his wish was granted. All other popes are buried in France or Italy.

2) It contains the remains of the only imperial couple to be canonized. Henry II and his wife, Cunigunde are buried here.

A couple of interesting this about their crypt…normally the most powerful person is shown on the left, which you would expect would be Henry. In this case Cunigunde is shown on the left and Henry II is on the right. Cunigunde was a very influential woman in her own right. Even today she is held in high regard by the German people, and it is said Henry II had great respect for her. Maybe he placed her on the left to show his esteem for her, or maybe, since he died first, she exercised some of her power and put him on the right herself!

The other thing that stood out to us is the story told on the side of the crypt. The first scene is of Cunigunde being tried after having been accused of being unfaithful to Henry while he was away. She was made to walk on hot coals and over the tips of trowels (think of a garden spade). If the wounds healed within a week everyone would know she was innocent of betrayal; if they did not her guilt would be proved, and she would be put to death. Cunigunde did all these things and remained unscathed. She was clearly innocent. The men who accused her were humiliated and ashamed, and the next scene shows them begging her forgiveness. That’s what you get for spreading rumors!

Below is the door that only the bishop could enter through. Notice the plaster artwork above the door.

A Christ figure sits in the center. Tale a close look at the faces of those on the left vs. those on the right. See the figure on the far right with the chain? It is the devil, pulling the folks on the right into Hell. The people on the left are more serious and prayerful; they’re following Jesus to Heaven. The people on the right appear to be really happy to be going to Hell and you might wonder why. The answer might surprise you. At the time this art was created it was considered inappropriate to smile or laugh in public. Only a crazy person would do that, so obviously all those people being drug into Hell by the devil himself are totally insane.

The Old Prince Bishop Residence is no longer inhabitable, and we couldn’t enter the area because they were preparing for the summer concerts that are held there, but a famous movie was filmed in its courtyard – remember the 2014 version of The Three Musketeers?

The New Prince Bishop residence was built in 1646. It was intended to resemble the Palace of Versailles (wasn’t everything?), but the bishop ran out of money and was never able to complete the third wing. If you look very closely at the corner of the building on the far left, you’ll see stones sticking out all down the corner. These are called “waiting stones,” because they’re waiting to be finished. Ha ha.

The rose garden behind the new residence is home to more than 4500 roses. Not many were in bloom when we were there, but it is still very pretty.

This completed our tour. We were now on our own. We could hang around town and catch a bus back to the boat in another couple of hours, we could take a cab back to the boat or we could walk back. We had been told it was a 20-25-minute walk. As you can see in the pictures it was a beautiful day, so we opted to get a few more steps in. Well, we got a few more than we planned!

We headed back to the place our tour had started and checked Google maps to be sure we were headed in the right direction to get to the boat. Odd…it seemed to be sending us in the opposite direction from what we expected. Hmmm…well, let’s follow it and see what happens. It led us to a path with a locked gate. Back to the starting point. Ken’s map told him to go one direction; mine told me to go another – but again, both went the opposite direction we thought we should be going.

We decided we would each follow our own map and hopefully meet in the middle. Ken made it to the destination first and discovered that what Google Maps thought was Bamburg Port was actually a place to catch boats for a tour of the river. Meanwhile, Pam had had a brilliant idea. We have tags in our luggage that are connected to a “Find My” app on our phones. What if we looked up where our bags were and followed the directions to them? Genius! Once again, we found our way back to the starting point. This time the map sent us the direction we’d expected to go all along.

As we made our way down the street, we ran into the Hospitality Manager from the boat who invited us to join him for a drink. We regretfully declined his offer – we were trying to get back to the boat ahead of everyone else and take advantage of fewer people being on the Wi-Fi to download pictures for the blog – but were grateful to hear we were, indeed, going the right way. Pretty soon we ran into some other folks from our ship who were also a bit lost. “Follow us!” we said. “We know where we’re going!” (we hope!)

Our new friends Chuck and Deb are on Ken’s left and Barb is on Pam’s right.

Finally, there in the distance, we saw our boat. A walk that should have taken 30 minutes had taken closer to an hour and our aching feet had completed 5 miles of walking!

The day was topped off with a delightful dinner with a couple from Japan. Isao (the husband) and Kimura do not speak a lot of English and we speak zero Japanese, so it was challenging to have a conversation, but we were trying. With much effort we learned that the two had been friends in college, then went their separate ways and married other people. Fifty years later they ran into one another in Tokyo and discovered each had been recently widowed. Romance bloomed and they’ve now been together 15 years. Isao climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro at 72! He’s 83 now, and Kimura is 81. Then Ken had a stroke of genius – we could use Google Translate on his phone and have a real conversation. What a great idea! He ran to the room to get his phone and we spent the next hour trying to figure out how the app works! It was hilarious. We never did figure it out but ended the meal in good spirits with plans to dine together again. Of course, as soon as we got back to the room Ken saw right away what we were doing wrong.

Life is an adventure!

May 13, 2024

After our time at the Residence, we turned our attention to the town of Würzburg. There are more than 100 cathedrals throughout Germany, and Würzburg is home to the fourth most important one.

The Würzburg Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to St. Kilian, an Irish monk sent to the Franconian region of Germany in 686 AD to plant a Catholic church.

Kilian elected to make Würzburg, pagan country at the time, his headquarters. He knew if he could convert the duke the rest of the country would follow. Kilian succeeded in converting the duke, but he was not able to sway the duke’s wife. The bigger issue was that the duke had married his brother’s widow. From a spiritual perspective this was viewed to be the same as marrying your sister, a very big no-no. Kilian told the duke he would have to divorce his wife. The duke agreed to do so, but first he had a battle to fight. He would divorce her as soon as he got back. The wife got wind of the plan and was none too happy. She arranged for a soldier to kill Kilian while the duke was away. In 1689, while Kilian and two of his associates were preaching in the town square the soldier attacked and cut off their heads. We don’t know if the duke went ahead with the divorce or not, but 50 years later their remains were found. Suddenly many illnesses began to be cured. The townspeople credited Kilian and the two men with the miracles, Kilian was made a saint, and to honor him a church was built on the spot where their remains were found.

The skulls of the three men were excavated and inlaid with precious stones. Now every year on July 8 the three skulls are removed from the glass crypt in which they are kept and paraded through the streets before being put on display in Würzburg Cathedral.

When the Cathedral was damaged in the March 16, 1945 bombing, services were moved to the Neumunster Church across the way.

The Neumunster Church is a chapel, not a cathedral, and until the 14th century it was the site of a Jewish synagogue. Unfortunately, when the bubonic plague happened everything was burned in an effort to rid the town of the disease. This included the synagogue. The chapel was built in its place. In the center bottom, under the stairs leading to the front door, is where the glass crypt with the remains of Kilian and his friends are kept. At the very top of the church is a gold Madonna that turns in the wind, assuring that the blessing of the Virgin Mother is given to every corner of Würzburg.

What two things is Germany known for? Churches and beer! So, of course we went from learning about the most important churches to the most important beerhouse!

Falken Haus is an 18th century tavern owned by a very resourceful (and rich, from the looks of it – the beerhouse encompasses the entire building!) widow. The Royal Prince Bishop of the time was very into Baroque architecture and wanted every building in his region to adopt the style. He issued an edict that if your home reflected the Baroque style, you would be exempt from property taxes for 10 years. The very smart widow had the entire front façade of her tavern redone in Baroque! Today this building houses the Office of Tourism and the municipal library.

Next up was the Town Hall. Every Town Hall has its own restaurant, or Ratskeller, located on the bottom floor. This particular Town Hall has never been anything but, and it’s been in operation since the 11th century. The restaurant is always open to the public.

The tree you see painted on the front of the building is the Judgement Tree. It pays homage to an actual tree that used to stand in front of the Town Hall. Once a week a judge would sit under the tree while the townspeople came and pled their cases to him. After listening to their arguments he would issue his judgement; thus, the tree became known as the Judgement Tree. When the tree had to be cut down a tree was painted on the building in remembrance of it.

Our final stop was the Alte Main Brücke, or Old Main Bridge. Originally built in 1473, the bridge spans the Main River, connecting what is now modern day Würzburg to its historic center. There are bakeries and eateries on either side of the bridge and a wine house actually on the bridge. A favorite past-time of locals is to grab a glass of wine or beer and a snack with friends and enjoy it while looking out over the Main and taking in the sites of the city. We took this picture as we were walking back to our boat, so it’s a bit far away, but you can still see all the people milling about.

May 13, 2024

Cruising along the Main River of Northern Bavaria we come to Würzburg, the third largest city in the Franconia Region, and home to no fewer than 14 Nobel Prize winners, including those who invented the x-ray. It’s also second only to Amsterdam in its number of cyclists. Cycling is such a prevalent form of transportation that all children are required to take a cycling class when they turn 8. Afterwards they must pass a test to receive their license, and their bicycle must pass a safety inspection just like a car.

On March 16, 1945, Würzburg was reduced to rubble when Allied forces leveled it with their bombs. It was the women of the town who thought to preserve the town’s heritage, carefully collecting the stones from the ruins, painstakingly washing them by hand so that they could be used to reconstruct the historic buildings. Because most of the men were either lost in the war or being held in prisoner of war camps, it was also mainly the women who began the rebuilding process.

Today Würzburg is a vibrant university town rich with history. Our visit focused on the Würzburg Residence, home to Royal Prince Bishops from 1720-1803. The position of Royal Prince Bishop was established in 1709 when the then-Emperor found himself married to a barren woman. The Emperor wished to divorce his wife and remarry, but divorce was not allowed in the Catholic faith and he could not find a bishop who would grant his request – until he met a bishop who agreed to do so on the condition that the Emperor grant him the title of Royal Prince Bishop and give him superiority over all other bishops.

The Residence was designed by a 30-year-old architect and had 340 active rooms cared for by 400 servants – not a bad life for the Bishop.

Our tour began at the main entrance. What a first impression!

When the Residence was built, there were no doors and no windows. Visitors would enter through the opening where now there are the wooden doors you see in the left of the picture on the right. They would circle around in their carriages or on horseback, and stop at the foot of the stairs. Depending on the stature of the guest the Royal Prince Bishop would greet them from the top of the first landing, the middle of the stairs or on the first stair.

The steps of the stairs were built very short to accommodate the heavy dresses of the women of the period. Between the dresses, the corsets, and the petticoats the women could be carrying as much as 55 lbs. of fabric up these steps. Servants would be positioned to help literally pull the women up the steps and lift the back of their gown as they went.

During big events, guests would arrive and ascend the steps one at a time. Each time a new guest arrived each guest would move up one step. As they were making their way, they would have conversations with those around them, brokering business days, arranging marriages, securing employment for themselves or family members. In this manner it could take up to 3 HOURS to make it to the top of the stairs!

The ceiling of the stairway miraculously survived the bombing of 1945 and contains the largest Fresco in the world. For any art aficionados out there, what allows this painting to qualify as a Fresco is that the artist included a rendering of the Royal Prince Bishop as a god being supported by angels, the religious reference needed for qualification. The rest of the painting pays homage to the four recognized (and known – Australia and New Zealand had not yet been “discovered”) continents: Africa, Asia, North America and Europe. South America was known but considered unimportant.

I love the 3-D aspects of the paintings. But it’s not all illusion. The white figures in the corner are plaster and built out from the wall. The maroon cloth you see in the first and third photo is plaster that falls out of the painting. The effect is so cool. It took an artist and two of his sons (aged 14 and 21) only 14 months to complete the entire ceiling.

The same artist who did the Fresco also did every bit of the plaster work in the next room, the White Room, designed to give your eyes a rest from all of the color of the entry way.

The chandeliers are original and come from Russia. They were transported to Germany in an ingenious way. They rendered animal fat, dipped the chandelier into the melted fat, allowed the fat to congeal around the chandeliers and shipped them. This could only be done in the winter so that the fat will not melt in transit.

What appears to be fabric in the last picture is, again, plaster. This artist was amazing, but it is said he went totally mad at the end of this project. It may have had something to do with inhaling all those paint and plaster fumes for such an extended amount of time, but legend has it it was because of something that happened as he was finishing this room. He had been alerted that a very important dignitary and his wife would be arriving soon. He raced to finish the White Room and eagerly awaited their awed response to his artistry. Instead, the wife very, very pregnant and exhausted from the days of travel, they headed straight to their room, never even glancing at the beauty surrounding them. The artist was so devastated he went mad.

This room was used for formal dinners and state funerals. Here’s an image for you. All of the organs were removed from cadaver and replaced with cotton and herbs. After the viewing a steel rod was placed in the spine of the body, the organs were put back in and the body was mounted on a beautiful horse, which was led across town to the Cathedral to its final resting place. Well, the steel rod keeps the body upright, but what of the bobbling head? Two ropes were attached to the head and the equivalent of an alter boy had the honor of walking behind the horse and managing the ropes to keep the head straight.

Below are additional rooms in the Residence – the concert hall, meeting rooms, bedrooms, and the hall of mirrors. The Residence was meant to be a copy of the Palace of Versailles, only better. How did the architect make it better? He added one more window.

Check out the intricate design of the wood-inlaid floor in the last picture. The white in the flower portions looked to be mother-of-pearl.

We didn’t have an opportunity to explore the beautiful gardens, but Ken was able to catch a glimpse through an uncovered window (many were covered in a protective plastic) and as we were leaving.

May 12, 2024

What can we say about the town of Miltenberg, Germany? It is a quaint German town without a lot of cultural or historical significance. It does have a LOT of old buildings, including two of the oldest buildings in all of Germany – Miltenberg Castle and the Gasthaus zum Riesen, and is one of the few towns in Germany that remained untouched by the bombs of WWII.

Its castle was built in 1190, and the town grew around what was then a toll station for the Main River. The inn was built in 1411 and has never been anything but an inn. It has had many prestigious visitors, including Napolean, but the one it likes to brag about to us Americans is Elvis. He is said to have stayed here three nights during his military tour in Germany – something the townspeople are quite proud about.

Miltenberg is home to LOTS of old buildings – homes dating back to the 1400s. Almost all of them are in some stage of crookedness, due in part to their age and in part to their construction. The homes were built in a time when owners were taxed solely on the width of the bottom floor of the dwelling. Homeowners would start with a narrower foundation and make the top floors a little wider. Unlike in Amsterdam, the floors of these homes are as crooked on the inside as they look on the outside. Special “levelers” have been developed to stabilize the different pieces of furniture so that they sit level even if the floor doesn’t.

We began our walk along the waterfront before turning into an increasingly narrow alley into the Schwarzviertel, or old “black quarter,” so named because of its narrow streets and tall buildings that prevent most of the sunlight from getting through. This is the oldest part of Miltenberg, dating back to the 12th century.

Miltenberg has its own “Red Light District.” Several of these types of paintings adorn the windows of one of the homes. We’ve included the least scandalous below.

People in the 12th century were deeply religious and deeply superstitious. They firm believed in the protection provide by statues of those they worshipped. Many of the buildings are fitted with statues like these depicting the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus, reading to strike down a serpent, protection from all the evils of the world. Some have Jesus doing the striking.

Not everyone’s life in Miltenberg was rosey. The tower at the end of the street in the first picture (close up provided in the second picture) was a prison for witches. They were held here while awaiting “trial.” No evidence was ever required for conviction; all that was needed was an accusation. We’re told that before the witch-burning era came to an end even children were being burned at the stake. Not a proud moment for any of us.

Some things never change. In our post about Cologne we talked about how the Catholic Church made money by charging people to have their sins forgiven and to gain access to Heaven. The practice continues today in a more subtle form. Those who donate money to the church on the Day of Epiphany – celebration of the day the three Wise Men visited Jesus with their gifts – receive a special mark on the doorway of their home: CMB. Loosely translated this means “Christ May Bless This House.” I don’t know what the “20” stands for, but the 24 at the end represents the year, so everyone knows how current your gift – and therefore your extra blessing – was received.

Artists of the time were not without their sense of humor. We frequently hear about them painting themselves into pictures or making subtle (or not so suble) political statements with their work. The artisan who created the statue in the town square used it to get a bit of revenge. He was hired to create a statue for the fountain in the town square and promised a good deal of money by the mayor if he would finish it quickly. The work was completed in two months, but the money never came, so the sculptor made a small revision. He added a circle of boys at the base of the statue. All of them are facing out except the one directly across the street from the mayor’s house. That boy is hiding his head in shame.

On July 22, 1342 Miltenburg suffered the worst flood in German history, the St. Mary Magdalane flood, so called because it occurred around the date of the feast day of the saint. Floodwaters reached the balcony of the house in the picture below, killing many, destroying homes and washing away all of the region’s fertile soil. Agricultural production was drastically reduced, leading to widespread famine and malnutrition. Some believe these conditions were responsible for the bubonic plague, aka black death, which took the lives of nearly half the European population and forever changed the course of European history.

It was a beautiful day to visit a beautiful city.

May 13, 2024

Our “European Sojourn” with Viking will take us from Amsterdam to Budapest. Along the way we will travel through eight countries along three rivers…the Rhine, the Main, and the Danube. Our boat is the Lofn. She is 443 feet long, has 4 decks, and holds 190 passengers and 45 crew.

Built in 2015 she is well cared for and still looks brand new. The lower deck int the photo below is where we enter.

There are lots of places to sit and relax with a good book or play a game with a friend.

You can choose to eat inside or out…

There is a sun deck on top with a walking track…

Just before we entered the Romantic Rhine area of the trip all of the railings on the sun deck were taken down and the chairs stored away so that we can fit under the bridges ahead. As we approach the river bridges the Captain’s Bridge (the white “box” in the middle of the second photo) will be collapsed as well. Three bottles of water are placed on the edge of the deck to assess clearance. If the tallest bottle of water falls down, the Captain knows he should slow down. If the second bottle falls, he knows to reverse. If the third bottle falls he knows to reverse really fast!!

You think I’m kidding, but here they are at work. Ken took this picture as we went under a bridge just before Würzburg. The red and white sign is hanging on the concrete bridge. Just below are the water bottles.

There is live piano music playing in the background in the lounge from lunch on, and music and dancing after dinner. We have a fantastic and tireless Cruise Director, Nicki Nicholas, who also offers talks about the history of the area, arranges special presentations from local craftsman, such as an expert glass blower, and hosts trivia games in the lounge when we’re sailing.

A coffee bar is open 24/7. You can help yourself to coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, hot tea, and still or sparkling chilled water. There are always fresh pastries and croissants first thing in the morning, two varieties of cookies between lunch and dinner, and a third variety for a midnight snack.

We see lots of interesting things as we glide silently along the river…fields, towns, cattle grazing, people catching ferries, lots and lots of campgrounds (Germans really like to camp!), even a festival! When we passed the tents in the last photo we could hear a cover of Lady Gaga loud and clear!

The hallway to the rooms is narrow – definitely a one-way traffic situation – and the room is small, but big enough for our needs. We’re not in it much, and there’s plenty of storage.

Each time we stop there are wonderful views off our balcony. Today we are in Würzburg, and this is our view…

Viking is taking good care of us and we are having a wonderful time!