JodockWorldTravel

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!

May 12, 2024

Throughout the course of our journey we will ascend nearly 400 feet, as demonstrated in the slide below, shared in a presentation by our cruise director.

Rivers flowing so steeply downhill lose depth in places and create a rate of water flow too dangerous to navigate (engineers and maritime folks bear with me; this is my layman’s understanding of the situation). To make the rivers navigable, engineers built dams along the river. This allows for a gradual increase in altitude. Each of the triangles in the slide above represents a lock that must be navigated to get past the dam and into deeper waters.

For those who may not be familiar with the process, there is a gate at either end of the lock. You enter the lock (in our case the locks are located to the left of the waterway); the gate in front of you is closed and the gate behind you closes. The lock begins to fill with water.

It’s a pretty tight fit for our long boat…

The dark stuff on the first photo above is part of the wall. In the second photo the white strip is part of the boat; there isn’t more than maybe two inches between the boat and the wall. We went through one of the locks during dinner and what you see in the picture of Ken is our view during the time it took for the lock to fill – usually less than five minutes.

When the lock is full the gates in the front are opened and we continue on our way at a higher elevation than we started!

Genius!

May 11, 2024

After touring Marksburg Castle we met up with our boat in Koblenz and spent the afternoon cruising down the 40-mile stretch of river between there and Bingen. Lush forests, vineyards dating back to the Roman Empire and nearly two dozen castles dotting the hillside join forces to provide a feast for the eyes. If you look closely in a couple of the pictures you can see someone working the fields. The little red dot in the second photo (zoomed in on in the third picture below) is someone riding a tilling machine of some kind up and down the rows. Amazing that it doesn’t fall off that hill!

Can you imagine the strength it takes to stand and do this manual work?

All of the vineyards in these photos are grown vertically, but some are horizontal. Grapes grown horizontally produce sweeter wines. Grapes grown vertically, like these, produce groups higher in acidity. We cannot tell you why!

The white castle in the photo to the left of the second line above served as a toll station. The rulers in the area laid a chain across the water there and the only way to get through was to pay a toll. Folks were very resourceful!

We apologize for the quality of some of the pictures. Internet in Germany is not as good as it is in the U.S., and when you’re trying to access it from a boat it can be even less reliable. Add to that we’re in a foreign country and the security setting on our devices doesn’t always like the server information it’s getting, and you can understand the challenges we face trying to download and edit photos from the camera.

Because this entire area is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site they are not allowed to make any structural changes that would alter its appearance in any way. This applies not only to the homes and buildings you see along the way, but to the municipalities themselves. They aren’t allowed to build any bridges, so to get from one side of the river to the other you have to take a ferry.

Some interesting things we learned along the way…

Back in the day the river would freeze solid enough for people to cross. At one point in time Germany owned one side of the river and France claimed the other. Two hundred eighty thousand troops crossed the frozen river to take the land from Prussia.

We also learned where the term “bistro” supposedly comes from. We’re told that after a battle along the Rhine a Russian leader asked for a meal and said he wanted it “bistro,” meaning “quick.” A bistro became a place you could get a quick meal!

May 11, 2024

High on a hill overlooking the town of Braubach sits Marksburg Castle, one of only two in Germany that has never been destroyed, and the only one that has never fallen into disrepair.

It was originally built for the protection of the townspeople and never intended as a primary residence, though it was occasionally visited by the families who owned it and regularly occupied by the 20-25 servants who worked for them. From the time it was built in the mid-1200s until the 19th century, the castle was privately owned. It appears to have changed hands at least three times over the course of its life until Napolean abolished the Roman Empire, gaining possession of the Castle and its lands and giving it to his ally, the Duke of Nassau. The Duke used it as a prison and home for disabled soldiers until he was booted out by the Prussians.

The Prussians could not afford to maintain the castle, so in 1900 it was sold to the German Castle Association for what would be eight to ten thousand Euros in today’s money. It has been the home of the head office ever since. Today, the CEO of the Association calls the top floor home.

A short windy climb up a steep hill or set of stairs takes you to the castle entrance.

The main entrance was originally built to accommodate soldiers riding atop their horses and offered a smooth grade to the front door. Today the opening is a bit smaller and a somewhat treacherous to navigate.

With no electricity, kitchen staff relied on natural light to help them see what they were doing. Kitchens were built with little alcoves with big “sky lights”. This is where they would do all of their chopping and food prep. During winter months all of the staff would sleep around the fireplace because it was the warmest room in the house.

During the middle-ages diets consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables and grains. Fish and meat were reserved for special occasions when they were more likely to be completely consumed. There were no methods to preserve left-overs, and food was too precious to waste. Salt was considered a luxury of the very wealthy. It was kept in a small lockbox. Only the master of the house had the key and special permission had to be granted to use the salt.

The master bedroom was the place to be. Not only did it have its own source of heat; it was situated just above the kitchen fireplace so even the floors were heated!

We often think the beds were so much shorter then because the people are shorter. There is some truth to this but there is also another explanation – people slept sitting up. Why? Partly because in an age where superstition ruled, people believed lying flat on your back was the position of death. If you laid that way, death would come and steal your breath in the night. It is also true that health conditions affecting the lungs were more common during this time period. To make it easier to breathe, people would sleep partially sitting up. With all of this going on you didn’t need as much leg room.

The main living/dining area was located just past the bedroom and was the main room for entertaining. That little grey alcove where the man in the blue shirt is standing is an indoor toilet. There was no door so no need to miss any important pieces of conversation while you took care of your business!

Doorways were much lower back in the day, and staircases were built with defense in mind. Their narrow passageway made it possible for the defenders wearing armor to get down, but attackers could not fit in to make their way up!

The room now used to house figures wearing armor from back in the day and display weapons is where the knights would have slept. The long spear-shaped things had only one purpose: to knock the enemy knight off his horse so you could actually fight him. Only the king’s soldiers were equipped with armors and swords. The items were way too expensive for the average citizen. They were more likely to have pitchforks and axes, and if they were really lucky they would own one of these long sticks with a ball filled with nails hanging from the end of a chain.

Europeans love their dogs. We see them walking down the street, joining their owner at the Reijksmuseum, visiting the castles.

It just makes us miss our Sophie girl all the more. 😢😢😢

May 10, 2024

Today we visited the city of Cologne, Germany, most well-known for its beautiful location along the Rheine River and its connection to the events of WWII.

Prior to WWII Cologne was the fourth largest city in Germany and the largest along the Rheine with a population of approximately 800,000 people. As a highly industrialized city with a number of factories involved in the production of war supplies and a railway system heavily depended upon to transport war supplies and troops, Cologne was an important military target. By the time the bombing ended on March 2, 1945, Cologne had been the site of 262 separate allied bombings. Fewer than 20,000 people remained in the city and only two buildings remained standing – a beer hall (of course!) and the Cologne Cathedral.

Construction of the church began in 1248. During this medieval period the church was flush with money raised from charging people money for forgiveness of their sins and entry into Heaven. The Church offered their parishioners “Indulgence Letters.” Individuals would confess their “indulgence” (aka “sin”), pay an appropriate fee as determined by the Church, and receive a letter absolving them of their indulgence. Not to worry if they found themselves laying on their death bed having not yet confessed their indulgences. For a “small” fee they could still gain entrance to Heaven. This worked very well for the Church until 1450. Anyone know what happened then? Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, which led to copies of the Bible being made available to the general public and not just the religious leaders.

When people began reading the Bible for themselves, they discovered they’d been duped! There were no mentions of Indulgence Letters, nor of the need to pay a fee for forgiveness or entry to Heaven. They stopped participating in the charade and by 1473 the Church’s wealth had dwindled to the point they could no longer fund the building of the church. Building would not resume until the 19th Century, when the Protestants made it their mission to complete the church. They successfully did so in 1880, remaining true to the original design conceived way back in the 13th Century.

It was the church’s twin spires that saved the church during the war. They served as easily recognizable landmarks for allied bombers to help them with their bearings when going deeper into Germany to drop their bombs. Even after the allied forces had gained control of the skies and no longer needed the landmark, they did not bomb the church, perhaps out of religious respect, perhaps out of respect for its cultural significance. Even though the church was never purposely targeted, it still suffered 14 hits. One of the reasons these bombs did not destroy the church is because all of its many stained-glass windows (a majority of which were donated by King Ludwig I – father of “crazy” King Ludwig II) had been removed. As a result, when a bomb did roll in, the pressure of the bomb blasts escaped out the open windows instead of being absorbed by the walls of the building.

There are two organs in the church, one of which weighs 30 tons and hangs high above the ground. The only thing that keeps it from crushing the folks below are the heavy cables from which it is suspended. It is safe enough for organists to sit at the organ itself and play, but most prefer to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground. Either of the church’s organs can be played sitting at the keyboard with the light-colored wood, pictured in the last photograph below.

One of the most unique things about the church is that it is said to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men. The remains were originally preserved in Milan, but in 1162 Emperor Frederic I (aka Barbarossa) invaded Milan. With him was the Archbishop of Cologne who asked if he could have the remains to take back to Cologne. Barbarossa said yes and in 1167 a golden shrine was commissioned to hold the remains. It continues to be on display in the Cathedral, now encased in glass. Once a year, on the Day of Epiphany the Shrine of the Three Kings is open to the public. Thousands of people flock to the city to pay homage.

The church contains more than 1500 statues of various sizes. Since the 19th century, artisans have been making models of the statues to ensure accurate reproductions when the statues require replacement. Because of the intricacies of the designs the statues still need to be hand-carved; even the most sophisticated stone carving machines cannot achieve what can be done by hand. It takes the artisans at least three years to create new statues.

Ironically, when the church was originally designed in the 13th century, few of its features at ever been created before and no one knew how to deliver on the extravagant vision of the architect. But this was to be a gift to God, and with God all things are possible. The height of the spires and the aesthetics of the knave were intended to give one the sense of ascending to Heaven; the knave represents the beauty of Heaven that awaits those who follow the straight and narrow path.

Each generation of builders knew that they would not be able to see the completion of the project; their goal was to solve the problem of how to build that portion for which they were responsible. Let future generations figure out the rest.

Later in the afternoon we were treated to a roof-top tour of the Cathedral. We were taken 88′ up in an exterior elevator and walked through the interior walls, where we could see the inner workings of the building – an engineer’s dream experience!

When building resumed in the 19t century newspapers reported on a 14th century crane found on site. You can see a replica of it above. It dated back to the 14th century and wasn’t removed until 38 years before the church was completed. Pam didn’t even know they had cranes in the 14th century! This one had a 1.5-ton capacity and was operated by man-power. Two men would stand inside the bottom wheel of the crane and run like hamsters to power the machinery. The large eagle to the right in the photos below is the same on you see perched on the end of the crane.

Our tour continued up a spiral staircase to the peak of one of the towers where Ken got some great photos.

The Cathedral has 135,00 square feet of lead roof and 107,000 square feet of stained glass supported by buttress piers, or arches, that keep the walls from collapsing inward from the weight of the glass. The foundation goes 57 feet into the ground. The metal trusts throughout the building were built in 1860. When it was completed, the Cathedral was the tallest, biggest, steepest structure ever built. It would be 30 years before this feat would be surpassed by the Eiffel Tower – and even then it is only in height that the Eiffel Tower outshines the Cathedral.

Today the exterior of the building is badly in need of cleaning. Most of the damage is attributed to the Sulphur that used to hang in the air, the coal-fired trains that used to run right next to it, and the residue from the bombs dropped during the war. Unfortunately, you can’t just power-wash the dirt away; that would destroy the stone altogether. Instead, more than 100 artisans, including 60 of the world’s top stone masons, work daily to replicate and replace each piece of the original stone. It is not known how long this will take, but like those who came before these masons know it will not be complete in their lifetime.

Some other fun things we learned while in Cologne…

The bridge that connects the two sides of the Rheine River at Cologne is guarded by statues of Prussian soldiers. You’ll notice that the soldiers are facing in a direction leading out of the city. The statues were building during the Prussian occupation of Germany and were a hint to Prussia that Germany would like them to leave.

The bridge has more than two million “love” padlocks (who counts them?). Couples engrave their names on the lock, secure it onto the bridge, throw the key into the river below, and toast to their everlasting love.

May 9, 2024

Today we are in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinderdijk (pronounced kinder dike), most known for its 19 well-preserved 18th-Century windmills. Many are so well- preserved people actually live in them!

Windmills are typically defined as “an apparatus that harnesses wind power for a variety of uses, e.g. pumping water and driving electrical generators.” The windmills we visited today were built to manage water levels for the town of Kinderdijk and its surrounding communities. As we’ve noted in earlier posts, most of the Netherlands is below sea level. The first layer of ground is peat, very soft and soggy and impossible to do much with. Early settlers built a dike to keep the waters at bay so the land would dry out a bit and they could farm the fertile soil. The windmills were built to manage the waterways on the other side of the dike.

Trivia Time! What’s the difference between a dike and a dam? A dike has water on only one side and is built to keep water out; a dam has water on both sides and is built to manage the flow of that water. Dikes protect land from flooding; dams retain water.

Our weather today is perfect! Low 50’s and lots of beautiful sunshine. Ken was able to get a great picture of the old pumping station reflecting off the canal. The new pumping station was not sexy enough to warrant a picture, but it operates on diesel and electrical power and requires no manual intervention. Everything is handled by technology; water levels are monitored, stations in the area communicate with one another, and water is removed or pumped in as needed

The windmills were built at different times. The first group of 8 was built in 1738 and are made of stone. Another group of 8 was built in 1740 and are constructed of wood.

Regardless of their construction they use water wheels to “push” the water into scoops, or large buckets, that then deposit it into a higher body of water.

In the old days millers ran the windmills for a small salary. The average family in those days had seven children. The miller, his wife, and all of those seven children lived in the windmill.

Here is the entry way and first floor of the home.

Can you imagine climbing those stairs 9 months pregnant or with a baby on your hip?!

The second floor is where the boys would sleep on one of two bunk beds, usually with multiple bodies in one bed. This wasn’t such a bad proposition in the winter given there was no heat.

Not much room, but a beautiful view!

Laundry was done by hand in the furnace shed, and hung out to dry.

This is the biggest room in the house, serving as the living room, kitchen and hosting area. It was/is the one room in the house that is heated.

The smoke from the stove in the living room would go up and out through the cap in the mill, blackening the beams in the attic along the way. In 1909 a new floor was added to this windmill and a horizontal chimney was put in. There were exhausts on two sides of the windmill. If it got too windy either side could be closed off with a lid, leaving the other open so the smoke could still get out. This area was also their storage unit. It’s where they would put fruit from the garden, their fishing nets in the winter, and it’s where they would hang the hides of rabbits or other small animals to dry so they could sell them.

Sixteen of the 19 windmills are still used as homes. They’re inexpensive to rent – only 500 Euros/month (less than $550), but that may not be as good a deal as it sounds. One must have a Miller’s license, which takes 2 years and time as an apprentice to earn, there is no insulation or modern heating or cooling systems, so the interior can be extremely hot in the winter and warm in the summer, and in order to maintain government funding for the UNESCO site, the windmills must complete 60,000 rotations per year. The windmills average 164 rotations a day and make a lot of noise while doing it – you do the math.

The reason you have to have a Miller’s license to live in the windmill – and the reason they keep them operational – is that if there is ever an emergency you may be called on to operate it. This happened during WWII when there was a shortage of diesel and electricity and the pump houses couldn’t operate.

Following our tour of the windmill, our guide told us a little more about the area and how a windmill operates.

Do you why clogs were so useful? They’re easy to get on and off; they are well-insulated; the wood used to make them is pretty soft and comfortable; clogs don’t get stuck in the muck; and they’re easy to make, so people of little means didn’t have to buy them from a cobbler, they could make them themselves.

There’s a lot to the engineering of a windmill, but one of the simpler things for a layperson like me to explain is the use of canvas on its wingspan. A windmill needs wind too operate, but too little or too much and it can’t do its job. So, a canvas was created to help the Miller regulate the rotations of the windmill. There are three types of canvas, each designed for a different wind speed. Each morning the Miller would check the weather and decide which canvas to use; some maximized a slight wind; some buffered a strong wind so that the wings wouldn’t go too fast. Why is that important? Spinning wood on wood creates friction. Friction creates fire. Friction is the number two cause of windmill fires. Lightening is number 1.

Now, where did the name Kinderdijk come from? The St. Elizabeth Flood of 1441 killed more than 10,000 inhabitants of this area. Legend has it that when people from the surrounding area came to look for survivors all they found was a little baby in a cradle floating in the water near the dike with a cat jumping from one side to the other to keep it from sinking. Chdild – Kinder, Dike – dijk…

Not everyone agrees with that explanation. Others believe there is a more sinister story behind the name – the use of child labor (in a time when it was quite common) to build the dike. Or how about the king who died young and left all his land to be ruled by his 14 children? Or maybe it’s called Kinderdijk because of its small, childlike size? Whatever the reason, when the sun is shining, the air is warm, and the windmills aren’t running this small town of 900 residing next to a UNESCO World Heritage site seems like a pretty nice place to be.

May 8, 2024

Welcome to the famed Keukenhof, where 40 gardeners work over a period of six weeks to plant 7 million bulbs (each one by hand!) representing 1,600 different varieties of flowers donated by 100 growers so that roughly 1.5 million visitors can enjoy them for a a total of 8 weeks!

Keukenhof was established in 1949 by a group of bulb growers and flower exporters as a way to showcase their products and support the industry. It occupies 72 acres of land attached to Castle Keukenhof, whose owners had the grounds re-done in 1857 to look like an English style garden. That English garden provides the foundation of the park’s design.

But did you know that tulips are not really Danish (as in, from the Netherlands, not the kind you eat!)? They actually come from the mountains of Kazakhstan. They were brought to Holland by a trader on the Silk route. There was a time when they were very rare here, and very expensive (remember the red and white striped tulip we told you about from our visit to the Rijksmuseum?). In fact, in 1637 the frenzy over tulip speculation reached such a fevered pitch, some say it caused an economic crisis. People were spending an entire year’s salary and even their entire family fortune buying tulip bulbs betting they could sell them for more than they paid. The most expensive sale documented during this time was 5,000 Gilders for one bulb. At the time that was the equivalent of the cost of a nice house – for one bulb!!! When the market fell, folks were ruined.

Another fun fact…I don’t know what tulips were originally called, but the name “tulip” comes from the type of hat worn by men in the area where they grew naturally – turbans.

And now, for your viewing pleasure…

And here’s Ken doing what Ken does. 😊

May 7, 2024

A visit to Amsterdam wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Red Light
District…but that may not be true for much longer. The Red Light District we visited is much smaller than the one someone may have visited even 10 years ago and if the new mayor has her way it could become non-existent in the next few years. But more on that later. First, a little history.

The Red Light District has been around as long as Amsterdam has been around. It has had a bit of an on-again, off-again relationship with the law. Here’s how one website describes it’s early years…

The rise of Amsterdam to world prominence was fueled by trade. Trade that would have passed through the oldest part of the city, its harbor. 

What’s a returning sailor to do with a fist full of cash and an itch for female companionship after months at sea with only men? 

Get drunk and get laid.

I couldn’t have said it better myself! 😂

But in the 1400s owners of brothels were to be buried alive – it was codified in Dutch law. In the 16th century, women accused of prostitution would have their ears cut off, then be jailed and be put on public display while doing their prison work – usually sewing – so that they could be publicly humiliated by passersby. Prostitution was again decriminalized in the 18th century. Even though the girls would not be arrested, they were still looked down upon and their lives were difficult. There were no protections against unwanted pregnancy or STDs, and no cure when they did contract an STD. Until an unlikely hero appeared on the scene – Napolean!

Napolean had an Army to protect. It was hard enough to keep them safe against the weather or enemy troops. Keeping them away from the women wasn’t likely to happen. Instead, he mandated that prostitutes check in with the police twice a week for medical exams. If they were ill or symptomatic they received free medical care and were prohibited from returning to work until they were deemed well.

Sometime after the Napolean era the Netherlands again became a protestant country and less tolerant of prostitution. Religious advocates would walk through the streets where the prostitutes operated, singing hymns and quoting the Bible in an effort to save them from themselves. It became such an issue authorities made it illegal for prostitutes to stand in doorways to “advertise” – but nothing kept them from standing in the windows…😊

This picture was obviously taken before then. It’s a 1905 photo of prostitutes and their pimp. Not quite what you were expecting?

Most recently prostitution was legalized in 1999 and recognized as a legitimate profession. However, it is still not without its critics. In 2007 the city restricted the area in which the women can operate, closing 127 windows. Today there are 300 operational windows and 350 registered sex workers, down from more than an estimated 1,000 in the 70s.

A lot more than the numbers have changed since the ’70s. For a long period of time the area was greatly neglected and a haven for drugs and illegal activities. The pictures below demonstrate that it was not a fun place to be. The photo was published in 1988, but supposedly was taken in the ’70s.

In the 1980s a couple of businessmen came in and started buying up the dilapadated old buildings and cleaning the place up. They renovated the buildings and sold them to legitimate small businesses they believed had something of value to offer the community – products or services that would attract a more….”desirable” element to the community. Their work continues today.

There was a time when organized crime was a big part of the Red Light District (maybe during that sketchy 70’s era?), but we’re told that is no longer true. Individuals or businesses own the rooms in which the women work. The women pay a set fee for each “shift,” paying a higher fee for the nighttime hours when business tends to be more brisk. The “landlord” receives a flat fee at the beginning of a worker’s shift, wages are subject to tax, and the women do have to pay for their healthcare, etc. just like anyone else. Each day when the worker comes to pay her rent, she is checked out to be sure she is healthy, free of any marks that may suggest abuse, and not under the influence. If a landlord suspects abuse, they are to required to report it to the authorities; if they believe the woman is under the influence they are prohibited from renting to her. Each room has a very visible emergency button next to the bed. If things start to get out of hand, the worker pushes the button and help arrives.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures of the women themselves, but we did see them, and we witnessed the negotiations that take place when a customer presents his or herself. In case you’re wondering, the workers in the Red Light District are amost always female, and they are clothed in the windows – maybe not a LOT of clothes, but they are clothed.

Here you see the entrance to the Red Light District and some of the windows that were not in use during our visit. I don’t know if you can tell, but the rooms are in the middle of a normal, everyday neighborhood. On one street there are a number of sex windows and three doors down there’s a very active daycare center. Some of the streets are also located along the canal, so I bet quite a few of those 400 wild pee-ers we heard about earlier today get fished out in this area.

This is one of the original alleyways to enter the District, and is still in use today. There was some questionable activities happening while we were there, so we did not walk down it.

The Red Light District is also home to the first coffee shop to legally sell drugs. This is that coffee shop.

Some will tell you that the church in the Red Light District was built specifically for visiting sailors to immediately go and confess their sins after visiting one of the women. It may be true that some of them did do this, but the church was actually built in 1300 and is the oldest building in Amsterdam. Back in the day the church was considered the most important building in the town and would be the first thing to be built. It was the center of medieval life, where parties and weddings were held, where people prayed and where they mourned. It was also where people were buried. This one has more than 10,000 corpses under its ground floor.

The future of legalized prostitution in Amsterdam is uncertain. Although the number of registered sex workers is small, there is a large “underground” trade estimated to involve a thousand or more individuals who do not register or get regular medical checkups. The Netherlands is one of the top 5 countries in the world for human trafficking and while this issue may not affect the legitimate workers it certainly feeds the illegitimate side of things.

At the very least the mayor would like to relocate the District somewhere else, and possibly close it to tourist. There is concern that its reputation attracts the wrong kind of tourist and adversely affects other individuals and businesses in the area. Plus there’s the matter of respecting the workers themselves; they don’t all appreciate being treated like zoo exhibits.

How did the District get its name? I’ve found two explanations – maybe both are true?

First, 19th Century railroad workers would leave red lanterns outside the doors of the women they visited to help them find their way back to the trains afterward. The collective red glow of the lanterns on busy nights led to the name.

Second, and probably the most common, is an old wife’s tale that red lights hide the physical markers of an STD. According to one medical site I saw this is not true. Nor is it true that the red lights prevent or heal STDs, another common misconception. Who knew?

For those of you who may have heard of the Blue Light District, it does exist, but it is not usually included in the tours. This is where transgender individuals work.

We were there from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Here’s what it looks like a little later in the evening, when things get dark…

May 7, 2024

Immediately after our wonderful Rijksmuseum tour we hoofed it across multiple canals and down many a cobbled street to meet Captain Eric and six of our closest (not!) “friends” for a small group canal tour. If you ever get a chance to explore Amsterdam, this is the way to do it, and Cpt. Erik is the man to do it with. He’s knowledgeable, entertaining, and full of surprises.

Cpt. Erik greeted us with a pristine electric boat, beautifully dressed out in wood, snacks and beverages at the ready. We were expecting maybe cheese and crackers and some cheap wine, but Erik laid out the good stuff – amazing young Gouda cheese, melt-in-your-mouth cheddar cheese sticks, mini Stroopwafels (a Dutch staple!), gingerbread cookies, potato chips, grapes…it was yummy! There were plenty of choice beverages to wash it down with, and along the way he even made a special stop for fresh hot bitterballen, a Dutch appetizer made by making a very thick stew laden with meat, forming it into balls, breading the balls and deep frying them. The bitterballen are usually served with a healthy portion of mustard. Pam wasn’t particularly fond of them but Ken thought they were just fine!

As we made our way around the canals the Captain sprinkled bits and pieces of personal information in with his stories of Amsterdam. Not only is he a canal tour guide, he is also involved with Plastic Whale, a company offering chartered canal tours that combine a bit of history with public service. Guests help collect plastic and other forms of garbage from the canal as they learn the history of the town. Plastic Whale then turns that plastic into foam and felt used to make modern office furniture and the boats Plastic Whale uses to conduct its tourist/cleanup operations. To date they’ve built 14 (!) boats. In 2019 they fished out over 40,000 plastic bottles.

He is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker whose most recent project, “The Spectacular Absence of God” (https://memphisfilm.net/project/god-shines-through-absence/?lang=en) was chosen for the American Jewish Film Festival in 2022. Erik’s mother and father were Holocaust survivors, and his mother was a friend of Anne Frank’s. They attended the same school and birthday parties, and when his mother passed the family found an original copy of the “The Diary of Anne Frank” among her possessions. It is on display in the National Holocaust Museum, the first and only museum of its kind in the Netherlands, which opened March 10, 2024.

Now, about that tour…

The City of Amsterdam is 7 feet below sea level – ironically, the same as New Orleans! Our Louisiana readers can identify all too well with the challenges this created for its early inhabitants, and for many locals those challenges also explain why the Dutch have such a high level of tolerance for differences of opinion/lifestyles. When you’re constantly relying on your neighbor to help you bail your house out or save all your worldly possessions you don’t really care how they feel about the mores of the day.

It was founded in 1250 with the building of a dam (Amsterdam means “dam in a wattery area”), but was not officially recognized as a city until 1275. In that year, Floris V granted the people living near the dam on the Amstel River freedom to navigate the waters of the Province of Holland without paying tolls. The lands around the Amstel River actually belonged to the Bishop of Utrecht (a city a little southeast of Amsterdam), but were ruled on his behalf by the Lords of Amstel. All boats and ships passing through the surrounding waterways were subject to a heavy tool, collection of which fell to the Lords. They were threatening to declare independence from the Bishop. Floris V put a stop to this, and to win the hearts and minds of the people in the local area, he granted freedom from tolls – a preview of the many benefits of joining mighty Holland! 

The canals were built in 1648 to help regulate the city’s water levels and protect it from flooding, and to allow goods to be transported around the city more quickly. Today Amsterdam has 165 canals, spanned by more than 1,500 bridges. The canals are abou10 feet deep and do sometimes freeze. Cpt. Erik shared these pictures of folks enjoying themselves when that happens.

These canals are also home to 2700 houseboats. Slips are controlled by the city and homeowners pay betwee $1,500 and $3,000/year for the privilege of hooking into city utilities, and an additional rental fee for the slip. But if you think a houseboat might be a cheap alternative to the high cost of brick and mortar homes in Amsterdam, think again. The houseboats along the stretch shown below go for over $1 million – and they are definitely nothing fancy.

All available slips in the are in use. If you want to bring in a new houseboat you have to buy someone else’s houseboat, move it out and bring your new one in.

All houseboats must be removed from the water and inspected once every 7 years. If you look closely at some of these houseboats you can see that there’s no way they’re going to fit under the bridges to get them to an area where they can be safely removed from the water. Not a problem! The homeowner calls the city, the city opens the locks and drains some water out of the canals – not too much, just enough to give the houseboat the 10″ clearance required to pass under the bridges – and when the boat is out the city lets a little water back in and closes the locks again…all at no cost to the homeowner!

Folks in Amsterdam are fond of saying, “God created the world; the Dutch created Holland.” Amsterdam is literally built on a blog, and many of the 90 islands that make up Amsterdam were built by filling in canals. This means the top layers of soil that make up the land can be a bit unstable to build on. All of Amsterdam’s structures are built on piles, large stakes driven into the ground until they reach the first layer of stable sand. Historically these piles were made of wood. What do you think happens to wood that’s been buried 35 feet under water for over 500 years? You guessed it! It deteriorates, leading to this…

Do you see how the buildings are leaning? This group of homes on the left is called “the Dancing Ladies.” You see this everywhere around the city. Eventually every structure will have to replace their piles – at no small cost. Doing so used to require removing all of the walls and the bottom floor of a home, and then replacing them after the piles had been replaced. Today piles are divided into three sections, which allows the homeowner to remove only the bottom of the home – at a cost of $100,000 – $120,000. We think it’s bad when a roof needs to be replaced! But don’t judge a book by its cover; once a house begins to tilt like this there’s no going back. The only way to get your house to straighten up is to tear it down and start over. Instead, most people replace the floors so that they’re no longing tilting and call it good.

Yesterday I talked about the men who had to be fished out of the canals due to wild peeing. Today we’ll show you a picture Cpt. Eric shared of some of the reported 14,000 bicycles officials remove every year!

Who knows how all these bikes landed in the canals. One thing’s for sure – it wasn’t from dodging speeding cars. The maximum speed limit within Amsterdam’s city limits is a whopping 18 mph. And parking’ s no fun, either. It costs about $7.50/hour to park, and space is limited. Most of it is located along the canals – either as angled or parallel – on very skinny streets. Erik shared that not too long ago his neighbor went just a little too far and sent his front wheel over the edge of the canal. When this happens you have to block off the streets, bring in a big truck and pull your car off the ledge. Ugh!

Erik shared this photo of his own parking prowess. He says the street he lives on is so narrow he has to park with his tires half-way over the ledge.

Is he telling the truth? You be the judge…

May 7, 2024

Oh my goodness! What a day!!! Today’s activities included a visit to the Rijksmuseum, a canal tour and a visit to the famed Red Light District. There’s so much to share I’m creating three separate posts. We’ll start at the beginning.

One of the many things I love about traveling is that it introduces Ken and me to things we might never do in our day-to-day lives – like visit an art museum. Today’s visit was a reminder to make time to notice the details in life. Our tour guide, Jacobo, did a fantastic job of connecting the art we were viewing to the historic and cultural events of the times in which they were created. I was fascinated by the ways in which cultural norms, evolving economies and technological advancements influenced the evolution of art, and how art affected culture. Following are some of the high points of our tour.

The Rijksmuseum is the national museum of the Netherlands, designed to tell the story of more than 800 years of Dutch history – from the year 1200 to now – through the lens of art. It was originally housed in Den Hague and contained only 200 items. Its current building was opened in 1885 and today contains more than 1,000 works of art. The museum has over 8,000 items in its possession that it rotates in and out. Our visit concentrated on what is referred to as the permanent collection.

As we entered this area of the museum we were greeted by magnificent stain glass windows. You might have noticed the Neo Gothic architecture of the building, which looks much like a church. These stain glass windows are reminiscent of those you see in churches, but instead of saints or famous people of the Bible the windows in the Rijksmuseum contain images of famous artists and fishermen. Why fishermen, you ask? Fishermen played a critical part in the development of the Dutch economy that had a tremendous ripple effect on society at large and art in particular. The fishermen developed a way to preserve herring so that it could be stored for long periods of time, which meant people could travel more extensively, which allowed for expeditions to explore unknown territories, which created industry that made wealth available to a larger variety of individuals, which mean more individuals had the spending power to commission portraits, which were the most common form of art at the time. Portraits became a very lucrative form of art.

This painting was done in the early 1600s. It could have been titled “The Good Life;” it depicts many of life’s pleasures at the time. The woman playing the lute on the right, the pearl earrings being worn by the woman in the middle – all suggest luxury. The toiletries on the table, including the mirror, allude to vanity. The bed and two men entering carrying a rabbit and a bird symbolize euphemisms of the time for making love. It’s amazing what one can see when we just take the time to look!

Another painting from this era serves as a sort of public service announcement about over-indulging. Moving from right to left we see the behavior of the individuals deteriorating, with a man unable to walk on his own falling down by the pigs, two men in the background fighting, etc.

In the late 1500s, early 1600s the Dutch had an excellent relationship with the Emperor of China. Many gifts were exchanged, the most popular of which for the Dutch were items of porcelain decorated with cobalt blue. In 1620 the Emperor died, creating a gap in that friendship. During the same period many breweries from the Dutch town of Delft were relocating to Amsterdam where the population and business opportunities were booming. The abandoned breweries provided the perfect space for making pottery. The people of Delft seized the opportunity and Delft Blue was born. Delft
Blue is a white ceramic pottery with blue decorations produced in Delft and considered as much a part of Dutch culture as windmills and wooden shoes.

The Muenster Treaty of 1648 marked the formal recognition of the Independent Dutch Republic. What’s remarkable about the painting commemorating the event is that the individuals in the painting did not sit for it at the same time. Each individual sat for the painting at a different time, and their placement in the painting reflects the amount they paid to be in it. The more you paid the more prominently you were featured. The painting also reflects cultural events of the time. The young men in the painting have longer hair, a reflection of the “hair wars” going on at the time. According to one article, “In early modern Europe, dress was regulated by “sumptuary laws”. These regulations set out who could wear what and when, according to a hierarchy of privileges believed to be accorded by god. Some of the laws related not just to clothing but also to hair. In 1637, for example, the authorities of the city of Basel prohibited its male inhabitants from wearing “hair and long tresses that are unseemly and unnecessarily ample and long, that hang down over the eyes, as well as artificial hair and hairpieces.” This led to a four-year cultural “war” where young people openly defied the law and wore their hair long.

You also see fashion movements at play here. The older generation is still wearing mostly dark colors, while the younger generation has begun experimenting with more flamboyant colors and styles. They would buy cheap used fabric items at flea markets and repurpose it into clothing, dressing it up as much as possible.

This painting is a subtle reminder to pay attention to what we see to understand what’s being said. At first glance we’re struck by the vibrancy of the painting, but upon closer inspection you see that the flowers are wilting, the walls in the background are deteriorating, there is a small mouse feasting on fallen petals. One of the flowers is a red-and-white striped tulip, a flower that was very hard to come by at the time, and therefore very expensive, a recognized symbol of wealth. The message of the painting is that nothing lasts forever.

The “Night Watch” is one of Rembrandt’s most famous paintings. It is said to be to the Rijksmuseum what the Mona Lisa is to the Louvre in Paris. Measuring 12′ 4″ x 14′ 9″ it was commissioned in 1639 by a group of civil militiamen to hang in their banquet hall with several other paintings commissioned by other artists. Because of the size of the painting Rembrandt knew it would have to be rolled to be stored. Traditional paints would crack if rolled, so he created a different paint that would withstand the rolling. However, over time this paint began to darken, leading to the “Night Watch” nickname. The painting does not depict a night scene and was not originally called that.

Our final portrait is of the main himself – Rembrandt.

May 6, 2024

Ahhh!  The sweet, sweet smell of freedom!  Or is that cannabis?  In Amsterdam they may be one and the same.  Long considered one of, if not the most liberal city in the world, it has been said that perhaps the only thing the Dutch won’t tolerate is intolerance.

As we familiarized ourselves with the city through a Hop On Hop Off bus/canal ride and a tour of the Jewish Quarter, it was hard not to notice that the “warm smell of calitas, rising up through the air” was much more prevalent than that of tobacco.   Marijuana has been legal in the Netherlands since 1976, and is readily available for purchase at the local coffee houses.  In fact, if you’re looking for a cuppa joe don’t go to the coffee house – that’s where you go to restock your weed.  You go to the coffee bar for coffee.

Throughout its history Amsterdam’s reputation for tolerance has made it an ideal destination for those seeking greater freedom.  They’ve come in pursuit of independence from government control, higher wages, religious expression, and to escape the Nazis. 

The Jewish Quarter of Amsterdam pays homage to those who sought refuge from the Nazis during the 1930s and 40s, as Hitler’s view of an Arian nation began to play out in Germany.  Perhaps the most famous of these was Anne Frank, whose family evaded capture by the Nazis for nearly two years by living in the attic of a home behind her father’s place of business.  We weren’t able to view the inside of the home (you have to buy your tickets six weeks in advance – something we didn’t know), but we did walk past as part our tour of the Jewish Quarter.

The Nazis occupied Holland from 1940-1945. Of the 140,000 Jews who lived here during that time, more than 102,000 did not survive. A Holocaust memorial honoring these individuals was dedicated in 2021. It was designed by the same architect who did the 911 memorial and shows the same incredibly sensitive and thoughtful attention to detail.   The memorial is built in geometric shapes that emulate the Hebrew spelling of the words “In memory of.” The mirror at the top of the memorial signifies a reflection of the past as well as a vision of the future. Each one of the 102,000 bricks in the memorial contains the name of an individual who died in the concentration camps, and their age at the time of death.  Their ages range from one day to 87 years.

Another artist honors these individuals by placing gold bricks among the bricks that pave the sidewalks in front of where their homes were located before they were forced out.  On each brick is written the family name, the names of the individual family members and the concentration camp where they were taken.

A bronze statue stands in front of what was once a school for the deaf, honoring the nearly 16,000 deaf individuals killed by the Nazis.  Its inscription reads, “The world stayed deaf.”

Yet another memorial honors members of the gay community persecuted by the Nazis.  Just as the yellow Star of David was used to identify those of Jewish descent, a pink triangle was used to identify those who were gay.  The memorial contains a pink triangle and is made of pink granite.

A National Monument to commemorate all who died in WWII, military and civilian, stands in Amsterdam’s Dam Square (where an actual dam used to be).  Each May 4^th the King emerges from the Royal Palace across the street and begins a wreath-laying ceremony.  Afterwards he leads the entire country in two minutes of silence.  On May 5^th, the actual date the Nazis surrendered, there is a huge celebration with lots of music and merrymaking.

This 700+ year-old city is like a giant outdoor museum.  Famous for its network of canals that divide the land into some 90 “islands,” Amsterdam has approximately 1,300 bridges and viaducts, and bicycles are a major form of transportation. As a pedestrian the bicycles are a much bigger obstacle than cars!

It has also been home to such famous artists as Rembrandt and van Gogh. Below is a picture of Rembrandt’s home. It is the entire building with the red shutters. Rembrandt essentially put 30% down to buy the house, but the remaining mortgage and financial hardship would cause him to file bankruptcy and lose the house nearly 20 years later. It is said that he died penniless.

One of the things you notice immediately upon arriving in Amsterdam is how narrow the homes and businesses are. This is because during the era in which they were built homes were taxed based on their width. To save money, owners built up instead of out. These narrow houses had/have steep, narrow staircases, making it very difficult to carry furniture or other bulky items up them. Outdoor pulley systems were designed for getting furniture and other large items into the house. These same pulley systems are still in play 500+ years later.

A heavy rope is attached to the hook at the end of the iron bar, a pulley is created, and the rope is tied around the piano or washing machine or sofa or whatever it is being moved. Using the pulley, the item is manually hoisted to the appropriate floor and brought in through the window. We saw one in use while we were on the bus tour but moved too quickly to get a picture of it.

Another holdover from days gone by is the men’s urinal. Men will be men, and when they have to go to the bathroom what better place than into the canal? This creates a bit of a health hazard, especially if one has been drinking, so in the 1800s the city decided to do something about it. They built these iron urinals all over the city. They’re very tastefully designed, allowing a great deal of privacy (you only see the legs of the person using them) and cute little figurines on the corners. They’re still there today and still getting plenty of use. In fact, if men don’t use them and choose to just let it all hang out over the edge of the canal – an event known as “wild peeing”- it’s a 90 Euro fine (nearly $100)! Even so, according to one article I read nearly 400 “people” (c’mon, we all know you mean “men” – women wouldn’t be caught dead doing this!) a year need to be fished out of the canal after falling in while wild peeing.

We ended with dinner at a local restaurant overlooking one of the canals at Central Station. The restaurant is the white building with the red roof. Central Station is the huge building in the back. Central Station is a major international railway hub, used by more than 250,000 passengers a day, making it the second busiest railway station in the country. It was built in 1889 and has been in continuous use since. It contains 21 retail stores and 24 options for eating and drinking. You can also catch a bus or a water ferry from the station.

It was a full and educational first day in Amsterdam. We arrived at 7:45 a.m. local time (1:45 EST), dropped our bags at the hotel and hit the ground running. We didn’t return until after dinner. Our goal was to stay up until 9:00 p.m., but shortly after 8:00 Ken’s snoring filled the room! 😂

February 9, 2023

On this, our last day in South America, we embarked on one extremely long bus ride through the Andes Mountains to Portillo, considered one of the best ski resorts in the world. The World Ski Championship was held here in 1966.

Along the way we passed through the Aconcagua Province, where we were told to expect breathtaking views of Mount Aconcagua in the distance.  Unfortunately, smoke from the 400+ forest fires burning nearly 500 miles away prevented us from seeing much of anything until we got well into the mountains themselves.

The Andes Mountain range is the longest continental mountain range in the world.  It runs north to south along the Pacific Rim of Fire and makes its way through seven countries, from Venezuela to Chile.  Its varied terrain includes glaciers, volcanoes, grassland, desert, lakes, and forest. And did you now that potatoes and tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains?  That’s what Encyclopedia Britannica says!

It was a long and winding road that took us up and through the Andes Mountains to the ski resort. The rock faces were so steep and severe you could almost see the glacliers moving through the valley, leaving their jagged signature behind.

Those yellow things that look like the cars of a train are actually tunnels we drove through.

After a little more than three hours on a bus (no kidding), we arrived at Portillo, Chile’s oldest ski resort. In 1887 the Chilean government contracted with English engineers to build a railroad from the central Chilean valley to Mendoza, Argentina. Two of the men on the crew were from Norway, and what do Norwegians do? Ski, of course!

The Norwegians inspected the proposed route on skis and became the first known skiers to traverse the slopes of Portillo. When the railroad was completed in 1910 recreational skiers began to use the train to get up the mountain to ski for fun.

By the 1930s ski clubs, a phenomenon that began in Europe, began to surface in Chile. This increased the traffic in Portillo, and in the 1940s what began as a small hut for individual overnight stays morphed into a gathering place for international travelers and well-known ski instructors. Attempts to build a grand lodge for these visitors were delayed by WWII, but with a little help from the Chilean government the 125-room Grand Hotel Portillo opened for business in 1949.

The ski resort proved too much for the government, however, and was eventually offered up for auction. Only one bid was received – from two Americas! Bob Purcell and Dick Aldrich. The Purcell family still owns and lives at the resort today.

This is not your typical ski resort. There is no town, no other hotels, no picturesque ski village… But if you’re a serious skier, this is the place to be. Pictures do not begin to do justice to the severity of these soaring 20,000-foot-plus slopes. My guess is that Portillo is no place for beginners! This article (https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/high-society-skiing-in-portillo-chile/) gives more information about the resort’s draw and clientele (does the name Lindsey Vonn mean anything to you?).

We didn’t get to see any of the interior beyond the community dining room where we had lunch, but when you see the mountains in winter, you can totally understand its popularity for skiers (photo courtesy of Alamy).

The ski resort is not even open during the summer months, begging the question…why this????

I guess Portillo skiers are a heartier lot than us!

The resort is located just uphill of the beautiful Lake of the Inca, which, as you can tell in the photo above (Courtesy of Ski Portillo Chile/Brent Jacoby), freezes over during winter months.

And with that our visit to South America comes to a close. It has been an amazing 26-day adventure we will not soon forget.

February 8, 2023

Nearly one third of Chile’s total population lives in its capital of Santiago, which has been marked by political unrest since the fall of 2019 when a group of secondary students unwittingly lit the flame for a massive political uprising.  The students were protesting a recent hike in subway fares.  The situation quickly escalated into a full-scale public revolt against runaway inflation, unemployment, and charges of inequality between the social classes.  Ultimately the President was ousted from office, replaced by a 35-year-old former student leader.  Today the majority of the members of Chile’s congress are in their 30’s and they are in the process of completely rewriting their constitution.  It’s an interesting time to be visiting the country’s capital.  Civil unrest continues, immigration is as pressing an issue for them as it is for us, and crime is rampant.  This explains why an armed guard joined our group for its tour of Santiago’s historic downtown district and never seemed to take his hand off his weapon.

Every single building in the historic district has been tagged with some type of grafitti, damage done during the riots begun in 2019.

We visited the San Francisco Cathedral, built in 1622. The cathedral is one of the oldest colonial buildings in the country, and has survived no fewer than fifteen 7+ magnitude earthquakes. It’s been damaged, but never toppeled.

The Presidential Palace houses the offices of the President and several cabinet ministers. It began life as the national royal mint in 1805, and in 1845 was converted to the presidential palace. Back in day the President and his family actually lived here, but today the residence is elsewhere.

Armed guards surrounded the square where the palace is situated. We caught this guy on a smoke break.

Following our tour of downtown we visited Chile’s second largest winery , Santa Rita Vineyard.

The walk from the parking lot to the winery is lined with beautiful old-growth trees, some of which have grape vines twisted among their branches, still producing fruit.

There are massive Bougainville plants (trees? bushes?) all over the property, and the grape vines are thick with gorgeous fruit.

Before we began our tour of the winery, we were given the opportunity to do a self-guided tour of an on-site museum, Museo Andino, which houses a collection of pre-Hispanic Chilean archeological finds and an exhibit of contemporary art.

Among the artifacts a display of gaucho gear. Check out those stirrups – I bet they weigh 20 lbs. each!

Very humanistic contemporary art. This one was Pam’s favorite…

Look in any one of the holes of the petrified log on the left, and you find this little caveman with his living quarters inside!

The winery was established in 1880, making it one of the country’s oldest and longest-standing wineries. Today it is a fully modern operation, working 24-hours/day, five days/week to produce more than 10 MILLION cases of varying quality of wines that are shipped to more than seventy countries around the globe. But wait! What’s behind that wall?

Wine isn’t the only thing this estate is known for, however. In 1814 a group of 120 independence fighters took refuge in the cellar of the main house, hiding from the forces of the Spanish crown.

Finally it was time for our own wine tasting!

February 7, 2023

After 21 days at sea it’s time to get our land-legs back!  We disembarked the Oceania Marina in San Antonio, Chile and made our way to the incredibly steep roads of colonial Valparaiso, deemed a UNESCO World Heritage for being an excellent representation of late 19^th-century urban development. There are so many hills in the city that at one time it boasted 30 vertical elevators, otherwise known as furniculars.

Our first stop was at the oldest of these structures, the Concepcion Furnicular.  Built in 1887, this furnicular remains true to its roots.  It is fully dependent on a rope and pully system and uses an old-fashioned “squawk box” for communicating.  The guy on one end opens a box on the wall and yells, “Are you ready?”  The guy at the other end yells, “Yes!” and the pullies are activated.

Chile is known worldwide for its street art and Valparaiso is the undisputed capital for that art. Concepcion Hill is considered an outdoor artist community; artists come from all over the world to use the houses and businesses as their canvas. The Hill is essentially an open-air art museum full of vibrant colors that give it a life and vitality all its own.

Our final stop of the day was a wonderful surprise. As we were heading out of Valparaiso to our lunch destination our guide was advised that the restaurant we were to have lunch at had an electrical problem and had to close for the day. They scrambled to find a substitute location and found a wonderful winery willing and able to accomodate us.

Casa Valle Vinamar is located in the Casablanca Valley, about 60 miles north of Santiago. It is an absolutely gorgeous property. We feasted on braised lamb and delicious wine while our eyes feasted on views as sumptuous as the cuisine!

Puerto Varas, Chile

February 5, 2023

Today was the last excursion of our South American cruise.  We’ll have a final sea day tomorrow and arrive in Santiago for a short land tour before finally heading home on the 11^th.

We docked in Puerto Montt and made our way along the Pan-American Highway to Puerto Varas, the City of Roses.  The area of Puerto Montt was founded by German immigrants in 1853, and that German heritage is on proud display in Puerto Varas.  German architecture fills the town of 250,000, where many of the current residents are descendants of the founding families.  Our visit here was brief, but we were here long enough to snap a couple photos and allow Pam a chance to use some of that German she learned almost forty years ago! We visited the town square, a local Farmer’s Market, and enjoyed a great view of Llanquihue Lake. We’re told that on a clear day you can see the Osorno Volcano from this viewpoint, but all that was available for us to see on this day was a bank of clouds.

Leaving Puerto Varas we climbed 4,000 feet up mountain roads to reach the Osorno Volcano.  The higher we climbed, the thicker the clouds became, and as we exited the bus, we weren’t sure we’d be able to see any of the 8,700 foot volcano, let alone the breathtaking views the area is so famous for.  But luck was on our side, and the longer we wandered the rocky terrain, the clearer the skies became.  We never did get a good view of the volcano itself, but the views lived up to their reputation.  The Osorno Volcano is considered the Mt. Fuji of Chile.  It has been dormant for 150 years and between the months of May and August it is home to one of Chile’s most popular ski resorts.

This is what we DIDN’T see on this particular day…It was hiding in the distance behind those buildings in the first picture above.

Our final stop was at Chile’s oldest national park, Vicent Perez Rosales National Park, where we witnessed the thundering Petrohue Falls. Pictures do not do this chute-type waterfall justice. Located in an area formed over 22,000 years ago by glacial flows and supported by basaltic lava from the Osorno Volcano, these falls have an average water flow of more than 71,000 gallons per second. For comparison, Niagara falls has an average water flow of 75,000 gallons per second. The sound of the water cascading through and around the myriad of rock formations drowns out any opportunity for conversation. It is a fascinating sight.

Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

February 4, 2023

Located in a very remote area at the head of Chile’s Aisén Fjord lies Puerto Chacabuco, Chile, a small, picturesque village surrounded by snow-capped mountains that serves as the area’s main port and the rest of Chile’s connection to the Patagonian Channels.  A salmon hatchery and tourism provide the greatest sources of income for the roughly 1200 residents, with the recently introduced apiculture (beekeeping) industry coming in a close third.  It’s a simple life for those who live here, but not an inexpensive one.  Almost everything they need for their day-to-day life must be shipped in from other areas, creating a very high cost of living.

A short 15-minute bus ride from the pier took us to Aiken del Sur Private Park, a 618 acre privately owned nature preserve and botanical garden. 

Clothed in the sweet scent of the Laurel trees (think bay leaves) and accompanied by the songs of the local Whet Whet and Chucao birds we made our way along 2 miles of trails to the Old Man’s Beard waterfalls.  It was a chilly 64° F as we began our journey and our guide kept commenting about how hot it was!

Along the way we saw lots of beautiful myrtle trees (with red bark that peels), giant-leafed Nalca plants and the park’s oldest (and largest!) Laurel tree. The bark of the myrtle tree is so soft it leaves a dust-like powder on your hands when you touch it. Indigenous people used to use the powder from the bark to treat/prevent diaper rash. The wood was, and still is, used to heat homes. For many people this is their only source of heat. The Nalca plant is similar to our rhubarb. Locals eat the stem (though our guide warned you must use your hands to work with it; cutting it with a knife makes it bitter) and use the leaves for a medicinal tea used to treat cramps and reproductive issues.

This picture gives you an idea of just how big the Nalca plants are! This stream was relatively low on the day we visited, but it is teaming with trout, making it a popular spot with local fishermen. The water is so fresh and clear the locals drink it straight from the source.

An offshoot of the main trail took us to the 72′ tall Old Man’s Beard waterfall.

Our hike ended at the park’s barbeque pavilion overlooking the beautiful Riesco
Lake.  We were treated to traditional dancing and a typical Patagonian barbecue, complete with lamb roasted over an open fire.

The views as we sailed away were equally breathtaking.

February 3, 2023

Today’s excursion was, without a doubt, one of the most unique we’ve ever enjoyed. We docked today not at a port, but in the middle of the Chilean Fjords, where we were met by a covered catamaran that ferried us off to our final destination.

Laguna San Rafael National Park is located on the Pacific Coast of southern Chile. Its name comes from the San Rafael Lagoon formed by the retreat of the San Rafael Glacier. The park covers an area of over 6,700 miles and includes the Northern Patagonian Ice Field. It is also home to the tallest peak in the Southern Andes Mountains and a total of 19 glaciers. The park consists almost entirely of inaccessible fields of ice. The San Rafael Glacier is where we’re headed today, and we traveled down a fjord more than 10 miles long to get there. The day began with lots of clouds, but we were fortunate that just as it was our turn to board the catamaran the clouds began to lift.

Our guide told us this area averages more than THIRTEEN HUNDRED FEET of rain each year. On average it is dry only 35 out of 365 days. How lucky were that this turned out to be one of them!

The views along the way were stunning. On one side of the fjord were scenes that looked like Florida; on the other, the Andes Mountains.

As we continued our journey, it was clear that the water was getting colder. We began to experience ice floes, then icebergs, then bigger icebergs…

And then suddenly, there it was! The massive 2-1/2 mile, 9500′ tall San Rafael Glacier!

To give you a perspective of its size, the tiny red spot you see in the photo below is a boat like the one we were on. They’re right next to the glacier. We weren’t able to capture it on camera, but as we watched the glacier calved at least five times!

As we were leaving we noticed this Leopard Sea Lion trying to nap on one of the icebergs.

On the way back we enjoyed views of the Northern Ice Fields, located behind the Andes Mountains, and another small glacier.

February 1, 2023

We spent February 1st and 2nd sailing through the Chilean Fjords. Here are the images we had hoped to see (taken from the web)…

Unfortunately, heavy low clouds decreased the quality of our viewing. Here’s what we actually saw…

But when you’re on a cruise, you can always eat your disappointment away! Ken thoroughly enjoyed tea this afternoon, and check out the presentation of the beautiful fish dish Pam had for dinner.

Punta Arenas, Chile

January 31, 2023

Overlooking the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas claims to be the southernmost city on Earth.  That’s a pretty big claim!  Once home to one of the most important ports in the world, today’s Punta Arenas is an isolated area with no railways or highways. Its population of 140,000 people has remained static for the last 20 years, but its consistently high winds have the government of Chile positioning this tiny little haven to eventually produce an estimated 13% of the world’s hydroelectric energy. The plan is very controversial, but if they move forward, it could drastically increase Punta Arenas’ population.

Ken elected to spend his time exploring an old fort that pays tribute to the founding of this area, while Pam visited a replica of Ferdinand Magellan’s ship and learned more about the history of Punta Arenas.

Fort Bulnes is located on a hill about 35 miles south of Punta Arenas.  It was established in 1843 to protect the area from claims of ownership by other nations and protect the Strait of Magellan.  The President of Chile wanted to develop a town in this location, but the harsh weather conditions deterred people from settling here.  After five years of trying, the local governor gave up on this location and founded Punta Arenas.  The fort was destroyed.  This replica was built between 1941-1943 as an historic monument.

These pictures show the remoteness of the area. And check out what the wind has done to these trees. Who wouldn’t want to live here???

For those who may have forgotten the history, Ferdinand Magellan convinced the Queen of Spain to finance an expedition to find a western route to the Spice Islands (now Indonesia) and create a new trade route.  What began as a mission consisting of five ships and 265 men in August 1519 ended in September 1522 with 1 ship (Magellan’s ship was the only one to survive the entire journey), 18 men, a new trade route AND a world-changing discovery.  Although Magellan would not live to tell the tale (he was killed by a poison arrow along the way), his ship would be the first to circumnavigate the globe, proving that the earth was not flat, as previously believed, but round. The trade route they established through the Strait of Magellan remained an important trade route for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans until the completion of the Panama Canal, which shaved thousands of miles off the journey.

Check out those living quarters! This is a true-to-life replica. Imagine 42 men and six months’ worth of supplies and rations in this space. There are four decks to the ship – one above and three below. The men couldn’t even stand up below deck – the picture with the hammock shows their sleeping arrangements, and those sleeping quarters also served as the punishment area for anyone who got out of line.

Pam’s tour also included a visit to the Maggiorino Borgatello Museum which chronicles natural history of the region and its people. Sadly, the bloodlines of Punta Arenas’ indigenous people, the Selknams and Onas, are no longer represented among those who live in the area today.

The Onas used bolleros (see earlier post from Buenos Aires) to take down guanacos. They used every single part of the animal to support their way of life.

Both Pam and Ken ended up at Cerro de la Crus, a popular viewpoint where you can see the whole city and the Strait.

Most of the buildings are made of corrugated aluminum. The colorful paint protects the aluminum from the elements. The houses you see in the bottom right corner are reflective of the typical home design – a door in the center front of the house with a window on either side.

Pam’s tour made a visit to the Old Town Square before heading back to the ship.

Most of the buildings surrounding the Square were built with whaling fortunes made in the 1800s. What were once private residences now house banks, restaurants and museums. Local artisans sell their wares along one side of the Square.

January 30, 2023

Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago at South America’s southernmost tip, shared by Chile and Argentina.  Known for its dramatic landscapes of snow mountains, glaciers and tundra, its main island is home to our port for the day located in the town of Ushuaia.  Often referred to as “The End of the World,” Ushuaia is a gateway to Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica to the south, 600 miles away.

Our rough ride through Drake Passage forced the captain to reduce his speed for the duration of the Passage, delaying our arrival to the port by a full three hours, but the guides made sure no one missed a minute of the planned adventure! Below was our first glimpse of the area.

Our day began on an enclosed catamaran that took us across the Beagle Channel (named for the vessel that carried Charles Darwin across these same waters) to Lapataia Bay, where we boarded a bus that took us along the famed Pan American Highway, through the Tierra del Fuego National Park to the Tierra del Fuego Southern Railway.

Ken got some fantastic pictures of the the birds that accompanied us on our journey.  Albatross have the largest known wing spans of any living bird, sometimes reaching as wide as 12 feet. They are particularly unique in that they may go a full two years without ever touching land. They land on and sleep on the water, returning to dry land only to mate.

Along the way we passed Seal Island, Island of the Birds, home to a colony of Cormorants, and Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse. The Lighthouse has been continuously operational since 1920, and is unmanned.  It’s solar-powered light is on an automated system.

The Pan American Highway was originally supposed to be a railroad connecting one tip of the Americas to the other, but construction was never begun and then Panama gained independence and began focusing on its canal and the next thing ya know 40 years have passed since the railway was originally proposed and now the auto is king. The railway became a highway. This roadway stretched across the Americas and covers approximately 19,000 miles in length.  According to Guinness, The Pan American Highway is the world’s longest “motorable road,” It stretches from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina.

The town of Ushuaia began life as a penal colony, and the Train at the End of the World is a steam railway originally built to transport timber for the prison at Ushuaia.  In an effort to stake their claim to this region of Tierra del Fuego the Argentine government authorized the construction of a large military-run prison and the infrastructure to support it.  Prisoners would be loaded onto the train every morning, taken into the remote forest to cut down trees, then ride back on top of the lumber they had cut.  The tour describes a pretty hard life for these guys, who were responsible for building their own facilities and the town infrastructure, and compares the prison facilities to Alcatraz or Devil’s Island.

There are wild horses in the area.

This area is known as the “Dead Forest.”  It is an area where prisoners cut trees and is allowed to remain unplanted as a nod to the area’s history.

January 29, 2023

Antarctica is surrounded by water that moves in a circular direction around the continent, in opposite directions – easterly and westerly.  In 2021 this water was named the Southern Ocean and officially became the world’s fifth recognized ocean.  The two directions meet in an area known as “Drake Passage,” renowned for its infamously rough waters, and part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.   

Drake Passage is a 600-mile-wide body of water that connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean.  It has an average depth of about 11,000 feet, with deeper areas having a depth of as much as 15,600 feet. Its estimated rate of flow is between 3,400 and 5,300 million cubic feet per second – eight thousand times that of the Mississippi River. Currents at this latitude meet no resistance from any landmass. This, coupled with the area’s propensity for high wind, is what gives the area its reputation for rough seas.  The meeting of these waters creates such an extreme current it can sometimes be seen from space.

This picture was taken from the Space Station.  Notice the line between the Atlantic and Southern Oceans.

The Passage lived up to its reputation for our sailing.  The Expedition team said that on a scale of 1-12 our weather was a 9.  We were never in fear of tipping over, but 47 mph winds and 30’ swells make for an exciting ride.  We tried taking pictures and videos, but they just didn’t convey our experience. Lots of things going “bump” in the night and more than a few queasy stomachs!   Folks with walk-in closets spoke of the drawers of the closet system being strewn all over the floors; one of the suites reportedly had so much broken glass all over the carpet the people couldn’t leave their bed until it was cleaned up.  If it was this rough for us imagine what it would have been like for the crew that discovered Antarctica in 1820!

Nathaniel Palmer was sailing a 47’ Sloop when he discovered Antarctica.

Our ship, The Oceania Marina, is 784’ long.

January 28, 2023

Today’s itinerary called for us to visit Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately, the ice had other ideas. For this portion of the cruise the Marina’s Captain is joined by an Ice Captain, a captain who has specific expertise navigating the waters of Antarctica and understands how deceptively dangerous its ice floes and icebergs (only 10% of which appear above water and that have a reputation for rolling over without any advance warning – something we did not witness) can be. On the advice of the Ice Captain we were rerouted to Deception Island. Working together, the Captain, Ice Captain and Expedition Team mapped out an alternate route that continued to impress!

At each turn the continent and ice grew larger and larger. Some of the icebergs were as big as our ship and some were bigger than a city block.

Water in this area is 110 feet deep – and yet this iceberg is GROUNDED! It would have floated into this area from a deeper area, where it ran aground and stayed put.

The one above was larger than our ship and the one below was 1/4 mile across and nearly 150 feet tall!

Some icebergs were a harboring penguins, especially if there were Orcas in the water. Notice all the black dots on the iceberg below.

We traveled by several penguin colonies. The pink “stains” on the snow is penguin guaba (poop). Hope that wasn’t TMI? There are roughly 140,000 pairs of nesting penguins in this area. The species in the photos below are Adelei (pronounced a daily).

We saw many glaciers.

This part of Antarctica is an active volcano that last erupted in August 1970

We also saw some Antarctic research stations. Can you imagine living here for a year and marching through this landscape. Gave us even greater admiration for the bravery (craziness?) of the first explorers and for those who ventured to the South Pole.

This small red dot in the picture to the right is an emergency shelter in case you get stuck out there during a storm. Ken’s thinking “Good luck finding this!”

January 27, 2023

The itinerary called for a cruise by Paradise Bay today, but the ice floes had other ideas.  We don’t know what we missed in Paradise Bay, but what we did see was stunning.

The continent of Antarctica was discovered in 1820 by an individual looking to expand the seal trade.  They had over-fished the bodies of water they knew about and were looking for new resources.  In 1821, the year following Antarctica’s discovery, 45 ships sailed into the area to exploit the whale and fur trading resources.  Just a year later the number was 91.   Soon after the “heroic age” began, with Expeditions from various countries fighting to become the first to plant their nation’s flag in the snow.  By 1955 seven different countries claimed ownership, but in 1961 The Antarctic Treaty was created, dissolving any claims of ownership and setting aside the continent as a scientific preserve.  Originally signed by twelve nations, 54 countries have now signed on.  Anyone visiting the continent must have a special permit issued through the Treaty organization, and any activities occurring on the continent are overseen by them.  Any decisions that need to be made are done on a consensus basis. The only human inhabitants on the continent are there to do research aimed at understanding and preserving her beauty.

And she is beautiful.  Pam was up at 4:00 to secure us a good viewing seat in the Horizons Lounge.  These photos were taken at 4:30 a.m.

This is a table iceberg.  Table icebergs always begin as part of a glacier and are the largest moving objects on earth.

The blue color of an iceberg is the result of the way the light flows through the ice.  The light absorbs all of the lower energy colors.  The color blue has the highest level of energy, and cannot be absorbed by the light, so its color shines through.

A group of humpback whales kept us company throughout the day (excuse the reflections of light in the window).

January 26, 2023

Some interesting history from Antarctic Guide (First speculations about Antarctica (antarcticguide.com)…Antarctica is the only continent that, from the perspective of human thought, began as a sophisticated concept emerging from a series of deductions. In the sixth century BC Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras calculated that the earth was round, and about a century later Parmenides divided the world into five climatic zones not unlike those that we know empirically today. He postulated frigid zones at the poles, a torrid zone at the equator, and temperate zones separating these uninhabitable extremes of heat and cold. In the fourth century BC Aristotle suggested that the landmass of the northern hemisphere must be balanced by a large landmass in the south…By AD 200 philosophers such as Pomponius Mela had postulated the existence of a cold continent at the southern pole of a globe roughly the size that we now know it to be, spinning around the sun. It was the nearest to the truth that anyone would be for 1,500 years.

Antarctica was discovered in 1820, but the first record of anyone actually setting foot on mainland Antarctica was 1853.  It is hard to imagine what those experiences must have been like.

Our visit to Antarctica officially began in Admiralty Bay, the largest harbor of the South Shetland Island area of Antarctica.  Members of the Expedition team were positioned on the Bridge and among those of us on the observation decks to explain the area we were seeing and help us spot wildlife. 

As we entered the waters of Antarctica we were greeted by several groups of Chinstrap Penguins.

There was a pod of at least 30 humpback whales spouting off in the distance, too far for a photo, but these guys came close enough for us to give you a glimpse…

Next came the ice floes, growing larger as we went along.

As the continent began to reveal herself it was absolutely awe inspiring!

Oh, did I mention it is cold down here? Pam was thrilled that it was snowing in Antartica – like that never happens!

January 25, 2023

We have an Antarctica Expedition Team on board with us and they are offering a series of lectures on the area we are about to visit.  We took advantage of our day at sea to attend some of those lectures.  We learned about the different types of ice and how they are formed, the ecosystems of Antarctica and those who have ventured here before us.

Glacial ice begins as snowflakes. Over a period of about 4 years, that snow becomes a dense mass referred to as a glacier.  Glaciers are constantly moving under their own weight.  Over time this movement creates fissures that eventually break free from the main body of the glacier.  When they fall into the water, they become icebergs.  Glacial ice can carve through solid granite.

Sea ice is frozen sea water that floats on the surface.  This is the type of ice that creates ice floes, a perfect habitat for wildlife. During winter months in Antarctica sea ice expands so far out in such a solid mass that it nearly doubles the size of the continent.  It contracts during the summer months, which is when we are traveling through.

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest and highest continent on Earth.  Surface ice can be as much as 15,000 feet thick.  It has the harshest conditions for life of any of the continents.  Only four percent of Antarctica is ice-free.  This lack of water equals a desert for life – a new perspective for Pam, who always associated the term “desert” with heat.  Turns out it’s the lack of access to water that defines a desert, regardless of whether that lack is caused by extreme heat or extreme cold.

In the ice-free area Antarctica is home to 260 species of lichens (some 4,000 years old!), 70 species of mosses and two flowering plants.  Following are pictures from the lecture we attended by Professor Craig Franklin, a zoologist who’s made 9 visits to research marine life.

The underwater world of Antarctica is beautiful.  Again, pictures are from Professor Franklin’s presentation.

Scientist don’t know why (some theorize it’s because there’s more oxygen in colder waters), but some lifeforms in Antarctica experience Polar Gigantism – their bodies grow much larger than they do in warmer environments.  More pictures from Professor Franklin…

Jellyfish can have bodies that are 10 feet across with tentacles that reach as far as 30 feet.  Starfish can be more than two feet across.  The fish on the body of the starfish above are about a foot long. And what more needs to be said about that spider???

January 20, 2023

Punta Del Este is the southernmost point of Uruguay.  In this beautiful town of 20,000 things get so quiet in the low season of tourism that they turn off the traffic lights.  When the tourist season is in full swing, however, the population increase more than ten-fold and those traffic lights come in handy!

The Leonel Viera Bridge has become an icon of Punta Del Este. Its architect had no architectural or engineering experience when he designed it. We were told kids try to fly their cars from one hill to the next when no one is looking. Can you imagine any teenage thinking of that? (My brothers would). Amazingly, the construction sequence used to build the bridge has since become typical for bridges of this type.

Our final stop of the day was Casapueblo. Casapueblo began in 1958 as a small wooden box built from planks its creator, artist Paez Vilaro, found along the nearby coast.  Originally intended to be used as a summer art studio, it eventually became his full-time home.  Over time he began to cover the wood with cement, molding it with his hands like a huge sculpture.  Vilaro added turrets, corridors, tunnels and terraces as the mood struck him, in the form of a maze with zero right angles, never developing any formal plans for the structure.  As the years went by, Casapueblo continued to grow, always in tune with the landscape around it.  It took 36 years to complete the 13 floors and multiple terraces that offer amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean and its beautiful sunsets.  Today, it serves as both a hotel and a museum that pays tribute to the artist that created it.

January 24, 2023

We were so looking forward to our visit to Port Stanley today, but alas, it was not meant to be.  This is a stop that requires us to tender from the ship to shore.  Anticipated winds of 30 mph and more made that impossible, so our visit will have to wait for another day.  Here are some images I borrowed from the web to show you what we’re missing.

We have learned some interesting things about Port Stanley though.  The entire population of the Falkland Islands total about 3,350 people, roughly 2500 of whom live in the capital of Stanley.  Forty-nine nationalities are represented in the population. 

The Stanley Power Station uses eight generators to provide all of the island’s power, but the generators are beginning to be supplemented with wind power as well.

Perhaps the most unique thing we’ve learned is about their air flights.  There’s no formal airport in the Falklands.  Instead, flights are provided through the local military base near Stanley.  Individuals wishing to fly out of the Falklands contact the base, provide information regarding when and where they need to go, and wait.  They listen to the local radio broadcast to hear their name and the date and time of their flight!

Sadly, we’ll have to wait another day to meet the King penguins in person. They are one of five species of penguins that live in the Falkland Islands.

The weather has turned colder, and the seas are getting a bit rougher, as expected. As I write this post, we are sailing the Atlantic Ocean.  It is full of white caps and the ship is rolling from side to side.  Makes for a great night’s sleep!

With the cancellation of this stop we’ll have six days at sea as we make our way through Admiralty Bay, past Half Moon Island, through Paradise Bay and Drake Passage before returning to Argentina.  Looking forward to some beautiful scenery!

Punta Ninfas, Patagonia – January 22, 2023

Welcome to Patagonia, a region encompassing the southernmost tip of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile, with the Andes Mountains as its dividing line. We were on the Argentine side known for its arid steppes, grasslands and deserts – and Magellan Penguins!

We’re quickly learning it’s always windy in Argentina. Check out that flag behind Ken.

We drove an hour-and-a-half each way on deeply rutted dirt roads through these grasslands and desert areas, past miles and miles of estancias. Almost all of the land in Patagonia is privately owned and used for estancias.  Estancias, and the Gauchos that work them, are at the heart of Patagonian culture and lifestyle.  They are ranches or farms normally used for rearing Merino sheep.  Many cover vast areas of grassland.  It’s a hard life – there is virtually no fresh water in all of Patagonia (you don’t have to drill deep to find water, but it is salt walt, good only for livestock, bathing and sewer), so all drinking water and fuel must be brought in, and each estancia is responsible for providing its own electricity.  You need approximately 20,000 sheep to produce enough wool to support the estancia and its small workforce, which usually includes 3-5 full-time workers and several seasonal workers.

Along the way we passed a guanaco running through the grasslands.  Guanacos are related to llamas, and like camels are able to store water in their bodies for long periods of time. They’re usually seen in herds, so our guide was very surprised to see this one out on its own.

We finally arrived at Punta Ninfas (Nymphs Point) and its wonderful colony of Magellanic  Penguins.  Turns out not all penguins like the cold!  This species of penguin is native to South America, and is named after the Spanish explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first to record their presence in 1520.  They spend their summers along the coasts of Argentina, the Falklands and Chile, and when the weather turns cold they hit the water and head to Brazil.  Ken says these are his kind of penguins!

Magellanic penguins are very social and live in large colonies, sometimes containing as many as 200,000 birds, where they nest in burrows, under bushes.  They are monogamous mates who share parenting duties.  The female usually lays two eggs a season, which take 39-42 days to hatch.  Both parents sit on the eggs, rotating out every two weeks or so.  When the chicks hatch the parents take turns gathering food to feed them.

It’s a long walk for this colony to gather food. We are standing near their nest and they need to walk all the way to the blue ocean you see just below the sky behind us. Whew!

Baby penguins, like most birds, are born covered in soft downy fur, which they will lose after their first month or so.  By the age of 60-70 days they are ready for their first swim.

After our visit with the penguins we were served a traditional South American meal at El Pedral Lodge, a small estancia established by two Basque friends in 1923.  The lamb for our meal was prepared on a spit over an open fire and the chorizo was grilled in an outdoor brick oven.  So good!!

And Pam made a new friend who made her miss Sophie all the more!

January 23, 2023

Some of you have asked about the ship we are on.  We’ll take advantage of this day traveling the Atlantic Ocean to share some pictures and details.

On our last voyage with Oceania we were on Insignia, one of their smaller ships.  This time around we are on Marina, home to 1250 happy guests and 800 hard-working crew members representing 52 nationalities.  Marina was built in 2011, and has 15 decks (11 of which are passenger decks). 

Marina offers three specialty restaurants and an elegant main dining room.

With 6  bars on board (including barista and martini bars) there’s no reason to ever go thirsty!

There are lots of options for finding a quiet space to read or do Bible study.

If you’d prefer a little more action in your day you can take advantage of the pool, putt-putt, ping-pong, croquet, or a variety of other activities.  And yes, there’s even a casino.

If money’s not an option you can indulge in a variety of spa treatments.  The least expensive facial is $149; massages range from $199 – $699.

January 19, 2023

Montevideo is the capital city of Uruguay, a small country situated just between Argentina and Brazil.

Today’s tour involved a ride around the town and a visit to a local winery.  There’s not a lot of history or information to share, so we’ll get right to the highlights!

Views of the city

Juan Antonio Lavalleja organized and led an insurrection that resulted in Uruguay’s annexation from Brazil (they were granted independence from Spain in 1811 but had remained part of Brazil)

This statue pays tribute to the traditional transportation used by Uruguayan’s in days past – oxen pulling a cart.

We visited the Bodega Spinoglio, a fourth generation winery that specializes in Tannat grapes.  We enjoyed a walk around the grounds and were treated to a wine tasting.

Future plans for the winery include turning the silos in the picture to the right into airbnbs.  What a unique place that will be to stay!

Interesting fact:  until 2019 Montevideo was home to world’s largest ship cemetery. At the time there were more than 50 shipwrecks in its harbor.  Apparently, when an owner can no longer pay on the loan for the ship, or if the ship has liens issued against it it is a common practice for the owner to “abandon” the ship in some harbor away from the bank or lien interest.  Who knew?  In 2019 government officials decided these abandoned ships – almost all of which still have oil and fuel aboard – posed too great an environmental danger to remain in their harbor.  They began the arduous and expensive task of removing them.  They appear to be making progress; there were maybe 20 shipwrecks in the harbor when we were there.

January 18, 2023

The day to board the ship for our cruise has finally arrived, but first!  A city tour of Buenos Aires.  Here are a few of the highlights…

St. Martin House – a replica of the home of the gentleman responsible for negotiating the independence of Argentina, Brazil, and Peru from Spain.

Next, A visit to the Cemetery de la Recoleta.  This cemetery was established in 1822 as a mass grave site for slaves who had nowhere else to be buried.  During that time individuals were buried in the grounds of the church they attended.  Slaves were not allowed to be members of the churches, so there was no designated place to bury them.  The cemetery was closed for a period due to the spread of Yellow Fever.  It re-opened under the authority of the city manager.  Since then individuals may lease a grave site for up to 99 years. 

There is no limit to the number of individuals who can be buried at a single site – some sites have five floors to them – on the above ground and four below.  There are 4,780 individual burial sites; it is unknown how many bodies are buried here. 

If a site becomes abandoned, the city exhausts all avenues tracing family blood lines until they find someone related to the person whose name is attached to the grave.  That individual can renew the lease or let it go.  There are several sites like this around the cemetery.

Below, Eva Peron is buried here.  Peron’s relationship with Argentinians seems to be one of extremes.  People either love her or hate her – many love what she did but not how she achieved it.  She died from cervical cancer at the age of 33.  Her funeral lasted ELEVEN DAYS!  Hers is the only grave that always has flowers on it – every day of the year.  On memorial holidays hers is the only site individuals line up to place flowers on.

Below, This incredible tree was brought to the city in 1823 as a sapling from Africa by a group of monks

This obelisk represents Argentina’s independence. 

This pink building is the Presidential House, where the President works, but does not live.  The house’s pink color is a nod to the past when the river ran where the town square has since been built.  During those times Argentinians painted the buildings with the blood of animal to preserve the stone from eroding from the effects of being so close to the water.

Eva Peron made her famous “Don’t cry for me, Argentina!” speech from the last balcony on the left.

Of course, you can’t do a city tour without visiting a church, right?  This is the Metropolitan Cathedral, headquarters of the Archbishop.  St. Martin (remember the guy who brokered Argentina’s independence?) is buried here.  His tomb is manned by two royal guards.  Twice a day there is a changing of the guard, where two guards from the palace switch places with the two guards at the tomb.

And last but not least, what tour would be complete without shopping?!  We visited the La Bocca neighborhood, famous for its colorful houses made of wood and tin (with characters leaning out of balconies and windows – who knows why?).  It has tons of character and tons of shopping!

January 17, 2023

We said goodbye to Iguazu Falls this morning and made our way back to Buenos Aires.  After a day of travel we had just enough time to get showered and changed for dinner and a Tango show.

A little history…although Argentina and Uruguay are generally credited as the home of Tango, the origin of the dance are African, brought to Argentina and Uruguay through   former African slaves.  Its name, “Tango,” was the word used to describe musical gatherings of slaves that would take place in the lower-class districts of Buenos Aires and Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. 

Our show included a variety of Tango dances, musical performances, and a traditional Boleadoras dance.  Boleadoras are instruments traditionally used to hunt animals.  They usually have two or three balls of stone or heavy bone that are each tied to its own rope and then joined together by a third rope – sort of like num-chuks.  Gauchos would use the Boleadoras to fell an animal they were hunting, aiming for its head or knees, then finish them off with a sword. 

January 16, 2023

Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better…it did!  We were blessed with nothing but sunshine on Day 2 at the Falls.  Immediately after breakfast we trekked across the street and down the path along the Falls, enjoying fantastic views every step of the way.  The “crowning glory” of the Falls is the Devil’s Throat, an area where falls converge over  a span of 500 feet (nearly the length of two football fields) in the shape of a horseshoe and fall a thundering 30 stories to the pool below.  Each minute enough water flows down the face of the falls to fill 36 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Following lunch back at the hotel came the moment we’d all been waiting for – a Zodiac boat ride to the bottom of the falls.  “You WILL get wet,” they said.  They weren’t lying.  It was a blast!! 

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capture the best moments of all on film because, well, we were too busy protecting our cameras/phones from getting as wet as we were.  We had a really fun captain who took us directly under the falls, not once, not twice, but just to be sure no one had been left out, THREE times!!!

We had some time between the boat ride and dinner to get cleaned up and enjoy this breathtaking sunset over the falls. 

January 13, 2023

SOUTH AMERICA HERE WE COME!

Having dropped Princess Sophie off with friends (30 days with her boyfriend, Rusty – woohoo!), we finished our packing and headed to the Pendrak’s official Park ‘n Ride for Jodock World Travels.  We nearly missed the connecting flight from Miami to Buenos Aires (kudos to American Airlines baggage handlers who got our bags from one gate to the next in less than 20 minutes), but it was an otherwise uneventful journey.

Our first day in country was all about getting settled in.  Our guide met our group of 14 at the airport, got us checked into our hotel and walked us to a delicious Argentine steakhouse for lunch.  These guys take their lunch seriously – empanadas and sausages as starters, huge servings of steak, chicken or pasta with multiple family-style side dishes, wine, desert; we were stuffed! – and when our guide told us restaurants wouldn’t even be open for dinner before 8:00 we understood why!  Argentinians eat lunch around 1:30, and dinner between 8:30 – 10:00 p.m.  Clubs stay open until 8:00 a.m., and clubbing is often followed by an “After.”  Not for the faint of heart!

We were on our own for dinner.  The 5:30 a.m. departure the following morning led most of us to feast on sleep.

January 14, 2023

Iguazu Falls (Argentina Side)

A domestic flight took us from Buenos Aires to the city of Iguazu (pronounced Eewahzoo).  We headed straight from the airport to the Iguazu Falls National Park.

The Iguazu Falls were born millions of years ago, likely the result of a volcanic eruption and from the slow but steady shift of tectonic plates.  It creates the border between Argentina and Brazil.  While the majority of the water that feeds the falls comes from Brazil, the majority of the falls are actually in Argentina.  Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world. The Falls consist of more than 275 individual falls, which flow over the largest basalt shelf in the world and are divided into the upper and lower falls. Iguazu Falls National Park is home to more than 1,000 different kinds of birds (including Toucans), 350+ species of butterflies (they are   everywhere), and 86 varieties of orchids.  Its wildlife inhabitants include monkeys, jaguars, pumas, cougars, ocelots, caimans (cousins of our Florida gators), tapers…just to name a few.  The park itself was established in 1939 and consists of approximately 300,000 acres, ninety percent of which is closed to the public.

How do the Iguazu Falls compare to other famous waterfalls?  Well, our own Niagara Falls are one third shorter than Iguazu, but Iguazu actually has less annual flow than Niagara.  Niagara has the fifth highest average flow of the world’s largest falls; Iguazu is sixth.  Iguazu is wider than Victoria Falls in South Africa, but Victoria claims the largest curtain of water.

We spent our morning hiking the upper falls, then stopped for a delicious lunch.  The forecast had called for rain, but we’d had beautiful weather.  We were preparing to head to the lower falls for the afternoon portion of our tour when someone looked out the window.  Oh! My! Goodness!  Clear blue skies had given way to a torrential downpour!  Such is life in a sub-tropical rainforest, our guide shrugged.

Ken braved the rain while Pam opted to stay behind and keep her skivvies dry – this was only day 2, after all.  Ken was rewarded not only with more beautiful views, but a visit from this little guy.

Our accommodations were inside the park, on the Brazilian side of the falls.  This required us to exit the park, go through the Border Patrol in Argentina and in Brazil before re-entering the park to get to our hotel.  We stayed at the absolutely beautiful Hotel Das Catarata’s, built in 1958 to reflect the architectural style of 1930s Brazil, with an amazing view of the falls from its front yard.  The interior woodworking was incredible – from the ceiling beams to the fireplace mantels to the staircases to the doors to our rooms.

We enjoyed over-the-top lunches and dinners here, in a beautiful restaurant that looks out over the pool.

We enjoyed a 7 day cruise with our 4 children, their spouses and 6 grandchildren for a total of 16 guests on the Disney Fantasy ship. I must say Disney does an AMAZING job entertaining ages of all levels. The only criteria we gave everyone was to meet us for dinner every evening at 5:30 to share their daily experiences. After the grandkids were introduced to their age appropriate area of the ship we only saw them at dinner. They would get up in the morning and just have a blast all day.

July 12, 2022

Stavanger is home to one of Europes most interesting Old Towns. The cobblestone streets are lined with the continent’s highest concentration of wooden buildings that date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Over 250 surround the harbor area.

Stavanger is Norway’s 4th largest city with population of 140,000 people. It is also the home of the oil boom, which changed the entire economics of Norway. Norway was one of the poorest countries in Europe before oil was discovered in August of 1969. Since then, it is now one of the richest countries in Europe. As a result of the oil business, Norway has become a welfare state where proceeds from oil are invested into a pension fund to support people in retirement. Oil accounts for 40% of exports and is 20% of their economy. Norwegians have free healthcare, and full pensions for every person, with a payout of 80% of your average lifetime wage. Definitely, better than our Social Security payout. Although, they are still taxed on these earnings beginning at around 22%, or higher depending on your income.

We visited the oil museum at the end of our tour and learned about oil drilling. They were also exhibiting prehistoric dinosaurs as a special event.

July 11, 2022

Today was an amazing adventure of buses, trains, waterfalls and tunnels. There is no doubt Norway is the land of mountains and waterfalls. You are surrounded by mountains when looking in every direction and you can barely drive a mile or two before you spot the next waterfall. There is also an amazing amount of tunnels through all these mountains. The first tunnel we drove through was 11 kilometers long (6.8 miles). many more were between 1-5 miles long. Some were man made, but many were built using ”Big Bertha” a huge boring machine that can bore through a mountain in weeks versus the years it took to build them mwhich would have taken years

Today we took a bus from Eidford to a waterfall near Voss, Norway where we were a few days ago. we visited the same waterfall as before, except today it was sunny and warm.

After leaving the waterfall be arrived at a nice hotel near the top of the mountain. Here we had lunch overlooking a beautiful valley and farms below.

The train ride from Flan took us past many waterfalls and sheer cliffs. Norway is not only the land of waterfalls it is well known for the amount and length of their tunnels. We drove through several tunnels that were between 3-7 miles long! here are some of the waterfalls.

We ended our daily journey where we started in the town of Eidfjord. Take in these views from town.

July 9, 2022

Voss is an international ski town and home of the World Cup ski challenge. Voss is a one hour train ride from Bergen, Norway. They have trains that run from Bergen to Voss about every 90 minutes and tickets range between $13-$40 Euros depending on demand and day. It was a very scenic drive through the Countryside with many views of mountains and fjords. We stayed at a wonderful hotel in central Voss that just happened to have the finest restaurant in town. I hate to say it but the meals here were much better than anything we had on the ship.

There is a large 10+ person cable car that takes you from the base in town to the top of the mountain where you will find additional ski lifts that take you to many choices of ski runs. Here are some pictures of Voss and the surrounding area.

We also visited the local church built of stone in the center of town. Many people were buried in the church yard dating back to the mid 1800’s. Although the mainframe was made of stone the steeple was all wood, typical of most Norwegian structures.

On day two of our visit to Voss we took a tour that drove us through the countryside past MANY waterfalls, up, down and through mountains passing many local farms. We arrived in a small village to located on an inlet to more fjords. There we visited Hopperstad Stave Church. This church was originally built in 1130, over a thousand years ago. Can you imagine? The only way to this town back then was by boat! The church was refurbished in 1885 and it is an amazing wooden building. Stave churches were made completely of wood and only a few hundred continue to exist throughout Norway. 

After leaving the church we boarded a boat for our 2 hour journey through the fjords towards Jostedalsbreen Glacier. Attached are photos of our fjord journey and sites seen along the way.

Jostedalsbreen Glacier is being affected by global warming. In the 100 years from 1901 to 2001 the glacier receded 1 mile. In the last 10 years the glacier has receded the same amount!!!

Hope you enjoyed the tour of Voss and the fjords. Help yourself to an Aass beer next time you are in Norway.

July 8, 2022

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.

June 30, 2022

Shetland, Scotland.  Welcome to the land where the sun never sets – but you never know that  because the fog never lifts!  We arrived to what we were told is a typical summer day in Lerwick,  Shetland’s one and only town and home to one third of its inhabitants.   Even through the dense morning fog we could see that this is a land of beautiful rolling green hills dotted with quaint farmhouses and lots and lots of sheep!  Lerwick is the most northern and most eastern town in all of Scotland but situated in the North Atlantic between Great Britain and Norway it has a fairly moderate climate.  The record high is 74 degrees (1991), and the record cold is 16 degrees (1952 and 1959). It rarely snows in the winter and when it does it doesn’t stick around for long.  But the wind, oh the wind!  It’s the wind that will bring you to your knees and keep you indoors in those winter months.  It’s the wind and the salt air that accounts for the scarcity of trees and other vegetation.  You have to be a determined and creative gardener to grow things here – and able to shelter your plants from the year-round harsh winds.

Summer days are long and winter days are short.  The area gets 18 hours and 55 minutes of sun on the day of Summer Solstice, and five hours and 49 minutes on Winter Solstice.  But as I noted above, they only average fewer than 50 days of sun the entire year, so you might not even know the sun has come up on those winter days!

Modern-day Lerwick was founded as a fishing seaport to trade with the Dutch in the 1600s and the fishing industry continues to be the area’s biggest employer.   There are a lot of successful commercial fishermen here as well as a variety of other trades associated with “aquaculture,” a new term for Pam.   The area is most well-known, of course, for its Shetland ponies, and that’s where our tour took us today. 

It is believed that Shetland ponies arrived in the area by walking across the vast ice fields during the last ice age.  They were originally used as work animals and were thought to be particularly well suited for working in mines.  They are small, have a docile nature that makes them easy to train, and it is believed by many they have a sixth sense for danger, making them all the more desirable for the mines.  During the 17^th century the hair from the tail of the pony was also used to make fishing line and bird snares.  Today the ponies are used for riding for children or for breeding.  Despite the fact that they are no longer the income generators they once were they still outnumber inhabitants of the islands 4:1.

The first Shetland pony was exported to the U.S. in 1885.  The most valuable Shetland sold to someone in the U.S. was a stallion named “Sensation.”  His owner traded him for 640 acres of prime Texas land that later became a very prosperous gas and oil field.

Our next two days will be spent at sea.  There are supposed to be Orcas and seals in these waters.  Maybe we’ll get lucky and see one or two.  Wouldn’t that be something!

JULY 5, 2022

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.

Unfortunately, many of the pictures will not be as beautiful as usual because Pam had to leave the cruise today. Her Uncle “General” (Sherman) is gravely ill and she chose to head back to Ohio and be with her lovely Aunt Dori for this difficult journey.

Tromso is an island town of 70,000+ residents located 217 kilometers above the Arctic Circle. They have 24 hour sunlight during the summer of the “Midnight Sun”  from May 21 – July 21 and during the winter solstice they have no sun from November 21 – January 21. During the winter the snow just continues to pile up. Imagine their scenario in 1997 when they had a record snowfall in one day (5 feet), wow! They have permanent snow on the ground basically from October to June.

The scenery around this town is absolutely amazing, as seen in the following pictures.

The Arctic Cathedral is located here. It was originally built with just wood and glass representing ice and allowing amazing views. When services began during the first “Midnight Sun” in summer (May 21 – July 21) many attendees began wearing sunglasses during service because of the light. The pastors said ”we cannot have that” so it was redesigned to add addition white peaks representing snow to reduce the light and eliminate the need to wear sunglasses inside. The original architect was beside himself and left town in disgust. The building is still gorgeous and really stands out in the town and has become a major tourist attraction. 

In order to get amazing aerial views you could ride a gondola to the top of the 1300 foot hill and capture the panoramic pictures you have already seen. You could also take this gondola with your para-sail, then climb the hill a little higher and take flight.

Next stop Lofoten, Norway.

We traveled to the farthest point north in the European continent. In comparison to the U.S. this is slightly farther north than Nome, Alaska. Fortunately, they were having a heat wave that day, it was 71 degrees. For a strange coincidence note this point is located at 71 degrees north latitude, hmmm.

We are traveling with our friends Keith and Kathy Snider. The globe sculpture behind us is the most famous marker to get your picture taken with to prove you were here. Furthest northern point of the European continent.

The visitor center had a nice restaurant and Arctic museum

These artistic disc and sculptures were popular are representing Viking expolration

June 29, 2022

As we pulled into Orkney, Scotland this morning we were greeted by its trademark wind, gray skies, and rain. Undaunted, Pam headed out to our scheduled tour of the mainland while Ken hunkered under the covers trying to sleep away a nasty head cold. Making our way by bus from the port to the west side of Mainland (the name of the island we were on, because “Why waste a name on this little piece of rock?” our guide said), we pass rolling green hills dotted with cottages, dairy cows, and sheep and here and there a windmill or two.

At first glance one might think there’s really not much to recommend Orkney. It is an archipelago made up of 70 islands – of which only 20 are inhabited – located about 10 miles off the north coast of Scotland. It’s actually closer to the Arctic than it is to London, has fewer than 22,000 residents and its largest inhabited island, Mainland, measures only 14-17 miles in any given direction. But check this out:  15% of the world’s seal population can be found in Orkney, it boasts the shortest available flight anywhere in the world (a 2-minute, 1.7 mile jaunt from Wastray to Papa Westray), it offers some of the best diving conditions and sunken ships for treasure hunting  it contains some of the oldest stone structures in the world, and thanks to the European Marine Energy Center may soon be known worldwide for its contribution to the development of clean, renewable energy.

Orkney is situated where the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. They are uniquely positioned to harness wind, wave, and tidal resources to create clean energy. They are able to generate much more clean energy than their island community needs and are in the process of turning that excess energy into hydrogen. Next year they will launch the first hydrogen-fueled ferry boat. Expect to hear more about that as time goes on, and remember:  You heard it here first, folks!

Small island life can create tight-knit communities, and Mainland, Orkney seems to reflect that. Every Christmas, while we Americans are carving hams and turkeys and preparing to cheer our favorite football team to victory, the good people of Orkney are gathering at the local church, dividing themselves into two teams and playing their own version of football. Each team has about 200 men, there are no rules and no referees. One team’s goal is to get the ball across a line about halfway up the hill. The other side is trying to get it across a line that’s about halfway out in the harbor. If you’re not playing, you’re cheering the players on, and when it’s all over the winning team chooses an MVP. The MVP’s reward is hosting the entire town for a victory party – and no one goes home to change before the celebration begins.

Today’s excursion was all about Orkney’s ties to the Neolithic period. For those of us who didn’t study archeology, the Neolithic period is the last of three periods of the Stone Age. It is thought to have lasted about 1600 years, from roughly 4100 – 2500. It marked the first time in

Human history that man ceased being nomadic and began staying in one place for long periods of time. The first stone tools were introduced, crafts began appearing and we began domesticating animals. Probably the most famous monument from this period is Stonehenge. Orkney has several Stonehenge-like standing rock structures around the islands. We visited two:  the Stones of Stenness Circle and the Ring of Brodgar. There’s not much known about them, so there’s not much I can tell you. They’re a bunch of tall stones standing in a circle and dating back further than Stonehenge. That seemed to be the most important thing for us to know. The people from Orkney are very proud to have Neolithic relics older than that famous Stonehenge place. No one knows why the stones were built in a circle or what purpose they served. The most popular assumption seems to be that they were built for some kind of religious purpose.

The Stones of Stenness are thought to be the earliest henge monument in the British isles. Carbon dating puts them at about 5,400 years old. The Ring of Brodgar is slightly younger at a out 4,900 years old. Pretty incredible that something built circa 3000 BC is still standing. It wasn’t a great day for picture taking here, so I’ve scoured the Internet for pictures that will give you a better view.  Think about all the weather these stones have survived, all the wind and rain, storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, whatever….and still they stand. Impressive.

June 28, 2022

What a fun day!  Today we are in Edinburgh (pronounced Edenborough – and they don’t like it if you get it wrong), Scotland.  Edinburgh has been recognized as the capitol of Scotland since at least the 15^th century.  It serves as the seat of the Scottish government and parliament and is home to its highest courts.  Its Holyrood House is the monarch’s official Scottish residence, and the city has a storied history as a center of education, especially as it relates to medicine, Scottish law, literature, philosophy, the sciences, and engineering.  It is the UK’s second-largest financial center and its second-most visited tourist destination.  But the city didn’t always have such a “pristine” reputation.

In the late Middle Ages a wall was built to encompass what is now referred to as the “old town” portion of Edinburgh.  This provided excellent protection against marauders, but during the 1700s when the city was heavily reliant on coal for its heat and other uses that same protective wall trapped the smoke from the coal, creating an almost constant black fog over the city.  This earned the city the nickname “Old Smokey,” a moniker still associated with it today.  This is also the reason so many of the city’s oldest buildings have a dark cast to them – the build-up of the coal residue turned the stone structures black.

We spent our morning visiting Broomhall Estate, a 2500-acre working estate established in 1702 by the Elgin family, and currently owned and operated by the 98-year-od 11^th Earl of Elgin.  Our tour was conducted by Lord Charles Bruce, eldest son of the 11^th Earl.  The Lord is an incredibly knowledgeable historian and very down-to-earth guy.  When our guide greeted him as “Lord,” he replied, “Please, please, call me Charlie.”  “Charlie” spent 2-1/2 hours sharing the history of Scotland and his family’s part in it, deftly weaving the fabric of Scottish history into that of America.  He easily demonstrated his assertion that all of America’s founding fathers were either raised in Scotland, had Scottish nannies, were educated in Scotland, or had Scottish influences, or any combination of the above.  He drew direct parallels to the ideology of our traditionally American beliefs and those of the most influential thinkers of Scottish heritage.  The estate houses an impressive library of historic documents, meticulously catalogued and including such things as an original 1562 Bible, a 1776 Atlas, and first-edition prints of every conceivable important piece of literature from at least the last five centuries, including the very first book ever written on the subject of cultural anthropology.  The Lord refers to the library as an “economic diary” of Scotland, documentation of a philosophical dialogue showing who read what and how these books influenced their thoughts and behavior.

The Bruce family has direct connections of its own to America.  There’s a ledger and correspondence that show in 1826 a certain individual was living on the property and couldn’t pay his rent.  The gentleman and his family were evicted.  Twenty-two years later the man’s son immigrated to the U.S., where his son would make his fortune in the steel industry and stock market, eventually becoming the richest man in the world.  His name?  Andrew Carnegie.

Another of Lord Bruce’s ancestors, his great grand-father James Bruce, was assigned Ambassador to Canada.  He negotiated the first Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and Canada – not the NAFTA of 1988, but the very first free trade act ever, the 1854 Elgin-Marcy Reciprocity Treaty, which created a period of free trade between the two countries that lasted until 1866.  It took 8 years and a LOT of alcohol, but he got it done, and over the next three months he negotiated similar agreements with China and Japan (reportedly using the same alcohol-fueled negotiation tactics).  Lord James Bruce led an adventurous and colorful life, and when he decided to write a memoir in 1790, he enlisted the help of the same individual who designed the American White House, James Hoban.

Lord Bruce’s grandfather was a playmate of Queen Elizabeth, and they have remained friends over the years.  He told stories his grandfather has shared about some of those playdates and of a time when his father was being taught in one of the rooms of the house when the Queen Mother came for a visit.  She poked her head in to see what was happening in the classroom and asked to meet the children’s tutor.  The next day the family was informed they would need to find a new tutor because the Queen Mother had hired theirs away to serve as governess for her children.  Lord Bruce was educated in that same room, along with around forty other children from the local area who came to the estate for their education.

Those who have seen the movie “Downton Abbey” may remember that its theme centered around a visit to Downton Abbey by the Queen.  Lord Bruce’s cousin was an historical consultant for the show and movie, and that premise was borrowed from an event that actually occurred during the 11^th Earl of Elgin’s childhood in the dining room we were standing in, when King George the VI and the Queen Mother came to dine with the 10^th Earl of Elgin and his wife.

I know this post is long, but I have barely scratched the surface of all of the history Lord Bruce shared with us.  There were fewer than fifteen people in our tour, allowing for a very intimate and free-flowing conversation.  It was wonderful!

July 27, 2022

Today is a day at sea, a day I imagined standing at the railing of our balcony or gazing out the many windows around the ship at nothing but water as far as the eye can see.  Well, there is water as far as the eye can see, that part I go right.  But that ain’t all there is.  There are also a whole lotta other boats way over there, probably travelling in a shipping lane parallel to the course of the Viking Mars (our ship).  I remember being surprised by that on our World Cruise, too, the number and frequency of shipping vessels we would be sharing the water with.  Maybe that should have been expected on this cruise as well.

What I definitely didn’t expect were the turbines.  Enormous turbines popping up by the dozens all along our route.  There’s just no escaping progress or man’s mark on the universe these days, even hundreds of miles out into the North Sea.

Turns out these windmills are part of the world’s largest off-shore wind project, a 3.6-gigawatt solar farm in the North Sea.  The project is using the world’s largest turbines – 13-megawatts and standing 850 feet tall, five times higher than the Arc de Triomphe – to generate power for more than 4.5 million homes in the U.K.  Each turbine’s blades measure 351 feet, longer than a soccer field, and can generate enough electricity in one rotation to power the average British household for two full days.  The project is expected to be completed in 2026 and will generate approximately 5 percent of the U.K.’s electricity when it is fully operational.  The windmills are located in an area previously dominated by oil and gas operations, so I guess that’s a good thing.  Wind power seems a lot less damaging to the environment than drilling, but still…there’s a part of me that wishes there was some space man hadn’t conquered, some place we could go and just gaze in awestruck wonder.

June 26, 2022

Greenwich, England

Greenwich, England served as a key location for Royals for more than 500 years and they have the historic buildings and stories to prove it.  We covered a lot of ground in our 2-1/2 hour walking tour and learned more than I have time/room to share, but below are some of the highlights.

First, an interesting bit of trivia.  Greenwich is located along the River Thames (pronounced Tims).  What I didn’t know is that a portion of the River Thames is tidal.  I didn’t even know it was possible for a river to be part tidal and part not!  In the case of the River Thames it dumps into the North Sea, and approximately 99 miles of the 215-mile river are tidal, including the portion that passes past Greenwich.  This means the height and depth of the river fluctuates, making bridges problematic.    Greenwich has solved this problem by building two-foot tunnels that run under the river!  I’ve included a photo that includes the entry to a tunnel on one side of the river and the entry/exit on the other side.  Originally built in 1902 and 1912 to accommodate 15 shipyard workers, the tunnels now see an average of more than 1.5 million visitors a day.  The tunnels are strictly pedestrian – you can’t even ride a bike or scooter through them.  Now on to the sights!

One of the first things you see as you approach the docks of Greenwich is the huge Cutty Sark clipper ship positioned on a massive slab of concrete.  This is the world’s only surviving extreme clipper.  Built in 1869 for the China tea trade and expected to last thirty years at best, this 150-year-old masterpiece made it fifty-two years as a working ship, was then used twenty-two years as a training ship and has served the last sixty years as a museum.  More than ninety percent of its hull is original construction.  During its time as a merchant ship, it visited sixteen different countries and traveled the equivalent of two-and-a-half trips to the moon in back.  In its first 7 years alone this ship hauled more than 10 million pounds of tea from China to the U.K.  Clipper ships have 3 distinctive design characteristics:  a long narrow hull; a sharp bow that allows it to cut through waves rather than riding atop them; and 3 raking masts (masts that angle forward from a straight vertical).  They were the fastest ships of their day.  The opening of the Suez Canal marked the end of the line for sailing ships in the tea trade, so Cutty Sark moved to hauling other goods, such as coal and wool. 

Cutty Sark gets her name from a Robert Burns poem that tells the story of a man being wooed by a scantily clad beautiful young witch in a tavern.  The witch uses all of her womanly wiles on the man, but he refuses to be charmed and runs away on his horse.  Being a witch, the woman is able to fly after him, but the man’s horse is faster and all she is able to capture is a handful of the horse’s tail as the man rides out of sight.  The woman is wearing a small nightshirt, known as a Cutty sark.  The figure head on the bow of this particular clipper is a woman with her breasts hanging out of her nightshirt and a fistful of horsehair hanging from her clenched fist, hence the name.

As we made our way through the outdoor market to Royal Park we passed by the Royal Maritime Museum, home to Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle.  This piece of art was originally created for a temporary display at Trafalgar Square.  When its time there expired, its cultural significance led the Museum to purchase it.  The monument is meant to be a replica of the ship of Britain’s most famous Admiral, Horatio Nelson.  The cloth used for its sails represent the fabric stolen from the African countries by the Dutch during the Colonial era (or that Nelson and his crew bought to repair torn sails, depending on the person telling the story).  It also reflects London’s cultural diversity as a result of European expansion.

We visited the Queen’s House, so named because – you guessed it – many queens lived there!  Legend has it James I of England gave the land the home is built on to his wife as an apology for swearing at her in public – two things a King was never to do (swear and humiliate his wife in public).  One could argue that he was unfairly provoked; after all, his wife had just accidentally shot and killed his best hunting dog.  But rules are rules, and the queen graciously accepted the apology and immediately went about building a statement piece of architecture as her new home.  Unfortunately, the queen died shortly after construction began.  The king soon remarried and gave the house to his new bride who become the first of many queens to live there, earning the home its name.

Finally, there was the Royal Observatory, perched high above it all.  The Royal Observatory was originally located at the Tower of London, but there was a problem with the birds.  Astronomers like to use outdoor telescopes to observe the nighttime sky; birds like to make deposits on outdoor telescopes…you see the problem.  The Royal Astronomer asked the King to remove the birds, but those of you who read yesterday’s post know that that was not going to happen (legend has it that if the Ravens are removed from the Tower the monarch will fall), so instead the King offered him the choice piece of real estate just above the Queen’s House.  Perfect.

The Observatory functioned as both a home and the Royal Observatory for nearly 300 years.  Between them, the first two Royal Astronomers plotted all of the visible stars in both the northern and southern hemispheres, and in 1884 it became the location of the Prime Meridian of the World, which separates the eastern and western hemispheres of the world and serves as the International Date Line, the boundary from which each calendar day starts.  The Observatory is also home to the first public symbol of time.  Long before the Prime Meridian and International Date Line sailors relied on the Observatory to help them set their watches and know when to set sail.  Using the position of the sun and other measures, astronomers would calculate exactly when high noon occurred.  They would then hoist a giant ball to the top of the mast on the roof of the building and begin dropping it.  This took a bit of time, so instead of signifying high noon, the ball was dropped at precisely 1:00 p.m.  This helped sea captains set their chronometers, a precision timepiece carried on a ship used in determining the ship’s position by celestial navigation.  Originally begun in 1833, this tradition continues today.

We managed to learn all of this AND pack in the new Elvis movie before returning to the ship to get cleaned up, toast our 17^th wedding anniversary and join Kathy and Keith for dinner. To top it all off Ken got to assist in the magic show we attended afterward. Great day!

June 25, 2022

Our plan for today was to move from the VRBO to the ship, grab some lunch there and then head to Windsor Castle for the afternoon.  Pam’s research indicated it would take a little less than an hour to get go the Castle, and we were even able to compare the cost of making the journey by bus, train (tube) or taxi. 

The first part of the plan worked great.  We were all packed and ready to leave the apartment before 9:00, and our driver wasn’t scheduled to arrive until 10:00.  We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves.  When the driver showed up at 9:15 we were feeling really glad that none of us are last-minute packers!

Getting from London to Greenwich was a piece of cake, so we arrived with about 45 minutes to burn before we could board the ship.  We found a little café and the guys started looking at our options for getting a taxi to the Castle.  Hmm…this site says it’s a 2-hour drive; this one says 48 minutes…this one says 2 hours, too… The man behind us, who is from London, overheard our conversation and said it would really be more like 2-1/2 hours each way, what with this being a Saturday and the transportation strike and all…  It didn’t take long for us to reach agreement that Windsor would need to wait for another day.  Not a huge deal for Ken and me because we’ve been before, but we were disappointed for Keith and Kathy and would have enjoyed seeing it again.  Oh well!  On to the ship!

Viking is providing us a terrific experience thus far.  Check in was easy-peasy, and after a delicious buffet lunch we spent some time exploring our new home.  It is beautiful!!!  The ship is only four months old, and we are only its third set of passengers.  Everywhere we turn there is something else to take our breath away.  Our stateroom is a bit larger than the one we had for the world cruise, we have the option of listening to a pianist, a cellist, or an acoustic guitar singer every evening before and/or after dinner while enjoying an adult beverage, and there is additional entertainment most nights in a large theater.  Tonight they are offering a movie, The Martian, with Matt Dillon (very appropriate since our ship is named “Mars” 😊), but after this the entertainment will be live.  They also have two additional theaters where we can watch different TED talks every day.  And get this – all of the public bathrooms have chirping birds being piped in. It’s hilarious. I think we’re going to like it here.  See what you think.

As I was collecting my notes for today’s blog, I suddenly realized what a busy day it was and completely understood why I needed to stop in the middle of it and take a nap! Some of you will get tired just reading about it, so I know you can sympathize!

We began our day at Buckingham Palace, said to be the Queen’s favorite residence, perhaps because two of her four children were born here. However, since the death of Prince Philip the Queen has spent less and less time here and in March of 2022, she announced that she had permanently moved out of the residence. It still serves as the administrative hub for the Royal Family and is where the Queen holds her weekly meetings with the Prime Minister.

We happened to be at the Palace just in time for the Changing of the Guard. The Royal Guard has been protecting the Royal Family for nearly 600 years. They were formed in 1656, raised to protect an exiled King Charles. They have served in every British military battle since. Members of the Guard protecting the Palace serve in two-hour shifts. During the ceremony, those members who are completing their shift leave the palace, led down the road by a miliary band or equestrian procession. Those who are beginning their shift are led by a military band from their barracks across the way to the Palace. When the two meet in the middle (behind Palace gates) they each present their arms to one another, the keys are exchanged, the new guards are marched into place and the old guard leaves. The only part of the ceremony visible to the public is the coming and going.

Next up was Westminster Abbey. Yesterday we visited the outside; today we did the inside. Owned by the Royal Family since 1066 (!), Westminster Abbey has been the location of every royal coronation but two since then (Edward V was killed in the Tower of London before he could be crowned, and Edward VIII abdicated the crown just 11 months after succeeding his father and was never crowned). It is also the final resting place of 30 kings and queens, 5 monarchs and lots of other very important people such as Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and Robert and Elizabeth Barret Browning. George II of Great Britain and Ireland was the last member of the Royal Family to be buried here; since then they have all been buried at Windsor Castle after their death (just to be clear; I don’t want you thinking any have been buried alive). The last person buried here was not a royal – it was Sir Lawrence Olivier, who passed away in 1989. On a happier note, the Abbey has also hosted sixteen royal weddings including those of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip and, perhaps most famously, that of William and Kate.

Our final tour stop of the day was London Tower. Built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s the Tower has long been associated with terror and fear. For over 800 years prisoners would be marched here for all manner of offenses, ranging from minor to egregious, never knowing what their fate would be or if they would ever leave. Three queens were among some of the more famous prisoners, two of whom were Henry VIII’s wives, both of whom literally lost their heads – Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The third queen, imprisoned for marrying without permission, starved to death before she could be executed. Nice, eh? The Tower is also where kings and queens would go to protect themselves and their possessions during times of trouble, and it is where the Crown Jewels are kept to this day. There’s an interesting legend attached to the Tower. Since its inception the Tower has served as a home to Ravens; legend has it that if they ever leave the Tower will fall. Even now there are seven ravens that call the Tower home, cared for by a Raven Master. Each bird has had one flight feather clipped to keep it from being able to fly away. When the Tower is not open to the public it serves as a home to the Raven Master and his family, a Resident Governor, a garrison of soldiers, a doctor, and a chaplain. There’s even a pub on site!

The day was capped off with a visit to London’s Theater district where we saw the play, “Come from Away.”  On 9/11 many of us watched in horror as terrorists commandeered two American commercial airplanes and deliberately flew them into the Twin Towers of The World Trade Center. Unsure of the extent of the threat then-President Bush shut down all American air space, leaving 38 additional commercial planes and their nearly 7,000 passengers with nowhere to go. “Come from Away” is the uplifting and heartwarming story of the tiny Newfoundland town of Gander that gave them a safe place to land and cared for them for nearly a week, until they could safely return to their U.S. destinations. It is a wonderful example of human beings’ capacity for kindness and compassion – and who couldn’t use a reminder of that these days? This Tony-Award-winning Canadian play opened on Broadway in 2017. I read recently that they announced on June 8^th that October 2, 2022, will be their last performance. I am so glad we were able to see it while we were in London.

Tomorrow:  Windsor Castle!

Welcome back, everyone! It has been a full 962 days since our last adventure – a cross-country road trip with our oldest granddaughter and next-to-oldest grandson – and 1,078 days since we stepped off the ship of our world cruise and we are SO excited to be back out in the world again! For those of you who may not know we are about embark on a 28-day Baltic cruise on Viking with our good friends, Keith and Kathy Snider.

We will board the ship on Saturday, June 25^th in Greenwich, England and set sail for our first port of call in Edinburgh, Scotland at 11:00 p.m. Sunday, June26^th. With an embarkation point this close to London we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to revisit one of our favorite cities. Keith found us a perfectly situated VRBO, located near Trafalgar Square and within walking distance of many of London’s main attractions. After catching up on our sleep we spent most of this first day reacquainting ourselves with the area, including stops by 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar square and the renowned Fortnum and Mason store in Piccadilly.

We learned about Fortnum and Mason from the guy who worked in the ship’s hair salon during our world cruise. He was from London, and when Pam commented that she was sad that the ship was not offering any excursions to London from the U.K. ports we were visiting he suggested we create our own excursion, get off the ship at the first U.K. port and then rejoin it at the next. What a great idea! And all he asked for his troubles was a tin of Fortnum and Mason shortbread cookies. They were so good! So, of course, we had to pick some up for the Baltic cruise. All these years Pam has just thought of this as a cookie store – we had so little time on our last visit we just ran in and ran out. There’s so much more to it – specialty candies and teas and preserves and and and….if you’re ever in London check it out!

On our way to dinner we decided to stop for a drink at a local pub. Turns out the place we stopped was a favorite of none other than Charles Dickens himself! The story goes that a pub has been on this site since the 1400s (at one time owned by the Crown!). In the 1800s Charles Dickens lived nearby and is reported to have spent nearly every night in the Red Lion, cozying up to a pretty barmaid. And now we’ve been here, too, though we weren’t cozying up to any barmaids, pretty or otherwise.

Dinner was a cruise along the Thames River, made all the more special because on our return journey they raised the Tower Bridge for a sailboat with a very tall mast to pass through. We were told they only raise the bridge 4-5 times a year, so we were really lucky to get to witness it.

All in all not a bad first day. 😊

Photos (in order): our cruise itinerary; taking off from Orlando; beautiful sunset from the sky (x2); flying into London; 10 Downing Street (x2); Big Ben; Westminster Abbey (front); Westminster Abbey (side); Entrance to Fortner & Mason (x2); Piccadilly (x2); in front of the Red Lion (aka Charles Dickens) Tavern; cruising down the Thames; Tower Bridge (x2); Kathy & Pam & the London Eye.

Thoroughly enjoyed a few days with my sister Lois and brother in law Mark in Key West, FL. We had a great day feeding the sharks followed by an excellent sunset meal.

Hanging out on the boat

Amazing sunset

Great times with our friend Corey in the Florida Everglades and lovely Marco Island. Great community with lots of outdoor restaurants and bars.

After 177 days, 36 countries, 24 time zones and 90 ports of call it’s time to bid our new friends and the amazing crew of the Oceania Insignia a fond farewell.  It has been an incredible experience; our minds are still reeling from the places we’ve been and the things that we’ve seen.  There’s a good possibility that the breadth of it all won’t truly sink in until long after we’ve turned this blog into a coffee table book and are browsing its pages sometime in the distant future.  One thing we absolutely grasp in the moment, however, is how very, very fortunate we are to have made what is, for us, this once-in-a-lifetime journey.

There was no time for long good-byes or farewell pictures today.  The ship docked at 6:00 a.m., we were off the boat by 8:00 and in a rental car and on our way to Orlando by 9:00.  We stopped to see a friend in Del Ray Beach, enjoyed a short reunion with our daughter and grandsons, retrieved our truck, returned the rental car and made it to our new home around 7:00 p.m.  Our two youngest grandsons will be coming to spend the weekend with us on Friday, and our youngest son and his daughter, Bella are scheduled to arrive from Washington on Saturday afternoon.  Further complicating things is that we begin a five-week road trip in less than a week, so we don’t have a lot of time to get moved in.  With that in mind, we immediately got to work doing laundry, setting up electronics and unpacking the kitchen. Fortunately, our daughter had worked with the decorator to have most of our other household goods delivered and put in place while we were still on the ship.  We didn’t even have to make the bed!

Our travels don’t end here.  We’ll be in our new home a grand total of FOUR DAYS and then it’s off on the aforementioned road trip with two of our six grandchildren.  Our oldest granddaughter, Bella, and second-oldest grandson, Michael, both 10, will be driving cross-country with us from Groveland, Florida to Puyallup, WA.  We have adventures planned all along the way and can hardly wait to get started.  Stay tuned for more updates from the road.

P.S. In January Ken’s phone provided him with a map of all of the places his phone had been in 2019. We’ve attached a copy of the map illustrating the places we visited during the cruise. It’s kinda fun to see it expressed this way.

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St. George was our final stop before we reach the Port of Miami and the end of this six-month adventure. What an extraordinarily beautiful location for our “last hoorah.”

Ken may have been the only passenger on the ship who thought to bring his golf clubs, but he was not the only avid golfer on board. As time went by word had spread that golf outings were being scheduled at various ports along the way, and by the time we reached Bermuda ten people had signed up. Pam was not one of them. She opted to check out the town first, then joined Ken for the back nine.

St. George is most famous as the first permanent English settlement to have been established on the island of Bermuda. The British landed here in 1609, and formally established it as an English territory in 1612. City streets are still only wide enough to fit a horse and buggy, and the area has lost none of its original charm or character.

While the guys enjoyed incredible views and gorgeous weather on the course, Pam visited King’s Square, home to St. George’s Victualling Yard, built in 1853 and used to store, prepare and package food back in the day.  In the 1800s the only means for preserving food for later consumption was by heavily salting it and storing it in barrels.  Each dockyard had its own victualling yard and cooper, or barrel-maker who was responsible for the manufacture and maintenance of all the dockyard’s barrels.  All that remains of the yard today are the walls that surrounded it.  It is surrounded by several boutiques where local artists sell a variety of hand-made crafts.

The area is also home to Fort St. Catherine’s, a coastal artillery fort active from 1612 into the 20^th Century.  Its complex contains what are said to be the oldest surviving structures built by the English in the New World.  It was last used as a premier base for the Royal Navy.  In 1950 the Fort played host to a production of Macbeth starring Charlton Heston.  Pretty cool, eh?

As we made our way out to sea, the Captain and crew hosted a Sail Away party, where everyone celebrated the near end of our journey by jumping into the pool fully clothed.  Why would anyone do that?  Crazy people!!!

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The New York skyline…what could be more exciting – or American!  We arrived at the Manhattan Cruise terminal, sailing along the iconic Hudson River.  The Hudson is a tidal estuary, where salty sea water meets fresh water running off the land.  It experiences two high tides and two low tides in any 24-hour period, each bringing with it a change in the direction of the water’s flow, explaining why the Native American name for it is loosely translated as “river that flows two ways.”

Cruising into the Harbor we passed under the George Washington Bridge, known by New Yorkers as the GW or The George, named after the nation’s first president and, at the time of its opening in 1931, the world’s longest main bridge span, a distinction it held until the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937.  A title it does continue to hold is that of world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge.  More than 103 million motorists cross her span every day. 

Off in the distance we could see Lady Liberty herself.  Most of us know that the Statue of Liberty was a gift to the U.S. from France, dedicated in 1887.   But did you know that it hasn’t always been associated with immigrants?  It was originally intended to symbolize the influence of America’s fight for independence, and ultimate liberation from English rule, on the French Revolution.  The French participated in and supported America’s fight for independence; that experience informed their own revolution and when that revolution ended, they used the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a model for their own document.  At the time, many Americans found a statue depicting America as a land of liberty a bit…ironic.  We had only recently abolished slavery and African Americans were still routinely attacked or killed; Native Americans were still fighting to maintain their land and protect their way of life; there was an existing ban on Chinese immigrants; and factory workers routinely worked 6-day/60-hour work weeks for poverty-level wages.  But newly arriving immigrants saw something else.  Oral histories recall their exhilaration at what they viewed as a welcoming sight, an indication of America’s welcoming spirit.

It wasn’t until the 1930s, when pro-immigration activists began using a poem written in 1883 as part of an effort to raise funds to pay for a pedestal for the statue that Americans began to universally associate the Statue of Liberty with immigration.  The poem, whose phrase, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” is so familiar to us now, was largely forgotten after funds for the pedestal were raised, but in 1903 a friend of the poet’s successfully lobbied to have it printed in its entirety on a plaque and placed at the base of the statue in memorial to its author.

We were only in port for 8 hours, and had never been to the 9/11 Museum, so that’s where we chose to spend our time.  Our tour began at St. Paul’s Chapel, AKA the Little Chapel That Stood, located just two blocks from the first tower attacked on 9/11.  It is said that George Washington came here to pray immediately after his inauguration.  The chapel was one of the few buildings to escape the Great Fire of New York in 1770.  When the Twin Towers were struck on 9/11, debris fell all around causing a sycamore tree in the corner of the church cemetery to fall, but instead of falling towards the building – as it rightly should have – and destroying it, it fell away from the chapel, sparing it once again.  The chapel became Ground Zero for aid workers and continued to operate as such for a full eight months after the attack.  Missing persons posters were placed on the fence surrounding the chapel grounds.

Constructed post WW-II, the Twin Towers complex was built specifically to promote world peace through trade.  At the time of the attack, 50,000 people a day were coming to work in 12 million square feet of office, hotel and commercial space among the seven buildings of the complex, representing 430 businesses from 28 different countries.  Each day these workers were joined by an estimated 80,000 visitors passing through the 5-acre Austin J. Tobin Plaza shopping mall below.  Another 10,000 people would visit the observatory at the top of Two World Trade Center daily. 

On September 11, 2001 nineteen men trained by Al-Qaeda simultaneously hijacked four passenger planes with the intent of using them to attack four major U.S. targets, killing as many people as possible.  2,977 people from 57 different countries died that day, including 412 first responders.  According to a news article written in 2018 nearly 10,000 more individuals who were in the World Trade Center or served as First Responders have been diagnosed with illnesses caused by the contaminants spewed into the air that day.

The 9/11 Memorial and Museum commemorates the attacks and pays tribute to those who lost their lives.  It is incredible.  As I write this it has been almost six months since we visited, and still I struggle to find the words to tell you about our experience.  Architects and designers have done a wonderful job of honoring those who died in the attack, and those who have passed away since as a result of injuries sustained or exposure to toxins.  There is a reverence to the exterior grounds that cannot be conveyed by the written word – at least not by me.  The museum itself is alive with the spirit not only of those who perished, but with the pain and agony of those left behind.  The visceral impact of twisted metal, fire engines liquified by the heat coming off the rubble, real-time videos of the events of that day cannot be over-stated.  Walking through a room filled with the photos of those lost as a result of the attacks, listening to recordings of friends and loved ones sharing their memories of them…is heart-wrenching.  We don’t have many pictures from the museum itself, because we were too overcome with emotion to be snapping photos. If you have an opportunity to visit yourself, we would highly recommend. It is an experience you will not soon forget.

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Welcome to Halifax, where “car” is “currh,” “bar” is “burrh,” and “furrh” is…you guessed it! “far!” We were fortunate that our Canadian friends, Nancy and Wayne, have a friend who lives here in Halifax and she graciously agreed to play tour guide for a day – a job she did quite well!

Elaine picked us up at the cruise terminal and made a made dash to Peggy’s Cove, getting us there before all the tour buses arrived. No one seems to know why Peggy’s Cove is so famous – we’re guessing it’s the beautiful location – but legend says it is named after the wife of a local fisherman. As a child, the wife was the sole survivor of a shipwreck near the mouth of the cove. She didn’t know her name and the family who adopted her named her Peggy, and began calling the waters where she was found Peggy’s Cove. Peggy’s Cove is home to Peggy’s Lighthouse, surrounded by a huge outcropping of granite rocks, great for climbing and exploring. We were greeted by a traditional bagpipe player. There used to be a post office inside the lighthouse, but they moved it to the gift shop a while back. You can still get the special postmark in the shape of a lighthouse if you mail a letter from there.

The nearby village has charming homes with brightly colored Adirondack chairs and wildflowers. Roadside vendors offer freshly boiled lobsters and lobster rolls, or you can get a fresh guy to take home and cook yourself. The area is home to many artists. One of them turned a granite slab in his back yard into an homage to Peggy’s Cove’s history. At the age of 70 he picked up his chisel and power tools and set about “releasing the figures sleeping in the rock for over 10 million years.” If you look closely at the picture you’ll see an inlaid plaque in the left side – this is a carving the artist did of himself and his wife. He also included his pet seagull. You’ll find him to the left of the angel’s wing.

We paid a visit to Alexander Keith’s brewery, in business since 1820. We were educated on the different malts used for different beer (but you better listen closely because these Halifax folk talk REALLY fast!), the differences between hop pods and pellets, and the process of brewing. There were plenty of generous samples, music and story telling along the way. It was really fun.†

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St. John’s is the oldest and most easterly city in North America.  It began as a fishing village and was particularly renowned for its abundance of codfish.  Reading the history of the area as we wandered through The Rooms, the town’s cultural museum I had to wonder what would make these people want to stay here – crossing a rough and unforgiving Atlantic ocean, water ways that would freeze over in the winter making it impossible to get in or out, bitter cold winds that would knock them off their feet, waist-deep snow they couldn’t drag a wagon through…why ever would you want to come here?  But come the Scotts and English did, joining the native Innuit, Innu and Mi’kmaq peoples to create the “New Scotland” or Nova Scotia.

We spent the morning enjoying this incredibly pedestrian friendly town (if there’s a person on the sidewalk, no matter where they are, cars will stop, just in case you want to cross the street there – it’s great!), catching glimpses of its history and character at every turn.  We learned about Screech, a Canadian brew created long ago by poor folks who couldn’t afford to buy a shot of the Jamaican rum arriving on their shores.  They’d sneak out back, gather up the empty rum barrels, then take the barrels apart and boil the wood to leech out the rum that had been absorbed by the wood.  The result is something like moonshine, with a very high alcohol content and, well, shall we say “unique?” taste.  Rumor has it the drink got its name when an American sailor was having a drink with a Canadian sailor.  The Canadian offered to share his alcohol.  He gulped down his shot and when the American gulped his he let out a screech and forever more the brew has been known as Screech.

Newfoundland is also known for its “jellybean” row houses.  In an effort to rejuvenate the downtown area in the 1970s someone decided to give the area a face-lift by painting the business in jellybean colors.  The idea was such a hit that man homeowners followed suit and now it’s part of the fabric of the community.

We visited The Rooms and gained an appreciation for the depth of community shared by the people who live here, their tremendous pride in their heritage and the difficult lessons they’ve learned along the way about how to blend their different cultures and beliefs.  Newfoundlanders love their music; a favorite pastime is Kitchen Parties.  Friends gather at one another’s homes, usually ending up in the kitchen (thus the name) playing whatever instrument they have handy.  Don’t play?  No worries!  Just grab the “ugly stick” and tap along.  No good host would open their doors without an ugly stick – a large stick (usually a mop or broom) adorned with a wide assortment of noisemakers that is tapped in time to the music being played.

Our afternoon was spent at Witless Bay where we saw puffins, minke whales, northern gannets and humpback whales.  The gannets helped us find the minkes – where there were gannets circling overhead there were minkes circling down below, stirring up the capelin (small fish).  When the minke surfaces to gulp his share of the fish the gannets immediately dive-bomb for their portion.   Gannets dive at a speed of 35-40 mph, their bodies straight and rigid, wings tucked close to the body but angled back, extending beyond the tail, piercing the water like machine gun fire.

The last stop of the day was Signal Hill, where the world’s first transatlantic wireless signal was received in 1901.  It was a full day!

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If you’re Ken what better way to end your time in Ireland than on a golf course?  With the help of the ship’s concierge, Ken and six of our fellow passengers made an early tee-time at the near-by Cobh Golf Club expecting 60-degree temperatures and morning rain.  Instead they got 65+ temperatures and beautiful blue sky.  It was a great day for golf and a gorgeous course.  And there was even time afterwards to stroll through the town, enjoy a pint and find a keepsake.

Tiny little Cobh’s main claim to fame is that it was the Titanic’s last stop on its way to New York.  It’s an interesting thing to take such pride in, but Cobh does, naming bars, restaurants and stores after the ship and offering a walking tour of the town that allow you the same experience Titanic travelers would have had before that fateful night.  Not quite the tone we were looking for, seeing as how our ship will be following that same course when we leave here.

From Cobh we set sail for St. John’s Newfoundland, a four-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean.  We’re headed home. The next time our feet touch land it will be North American soil. 

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Dublin, Ireland is known as the land of 1,000 pubs.  The establishments are the center of life in Dublin; they are where relationships are forged, deals are made, life events are celebrated.  It’s also the home of four Nobel-prize-winning novelists:  Yeats, Beckett, Shaw and Heaney.  And its Trinity College is host to the Book of Kells Exhibition. 

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book created in an Irish monastery around 1800 AD.  Latin text is supplemented with decorations like borders, initials and miniature illustrations.  It is considered the world’s most famous medieval manuscript and is an Irish national treasure.

As we made our away around town on a kind of self-guided walking tour we past Christ Church Cathedral.  One of the oldest houses of worship in the city, Christ Church has been serving its community since 1030, and not always just as a church.  In the 16^th and 17^th centuries the crypt of the church also served as a market, a meeting place for businesses and even as a pub!  A 1633 letter speaks of the vaults from one end of the church to the other being made into “tipping houses,” or pubs, for the distribution of beer, wine and tobacco.  In the 1870s a Dublin whiskey distiller donated nearly $40 million in today’s dollars to restore and save the church, which continues to offer multiple services to its community today, including on-line services.

Not far away is the Dublin Castle, serving as the seat of English, and later British rule in Ireland from 1204 to 1922.  After the Easter Rising of 1916 and the Irish War of Independence the castle was handed over to the newly independent Irish state and has been used for important national events, such as state dinners and commemorations ever since.  Individuals entertained at the castle include Benjamin Franklin, the Duke of Wellington, Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Princess Grace, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth.  Every Ireland president since 1938 has been inaugurated at the castle.  Today it not only houses a museum of its history; it continues to house active government offices.

Finally, no visit to Dublin would be complete without a stop by Temple Bar (coming full circle to the land of pubs…).  Temple Bar is a district within Dublin that gets its name from an 18^th Century resident, Sir William Temple, a renowned teacher and philosopher who was provost of Trinity College and had his home in this area.  A barr was the term for a raised sandbank that essentially served as a walkway, a series of which were located in the area when Temple lived here, thus creating the initial reference to Temple Barr (spelling later changed to a single “r”).  Over time the Temple Bar area became a slum.  In the 1980s a bus company was going to develop the area into a large bus depot.  While plans were being developed the company offered buildings in the area for low rent, making it a great location for shop owners, small stores, pubs, etc.  The Temple Bar area was born.  When the bus company completed its planning and was ready to move forward with the depot, protestors prevented them from doing so.  Today Temple Bar is the happening place of Dublin, and the Temple Bar itself boasts the city’s largest selection of whiskeys.

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Having never been to Ireland the image we had in our heads was one of ragged cliffs, rolling green hills and sheep.  The area surrounding Belfast did not disappoint. 

Our tour today was to the Giants’ Causeway, a collection of what is said to be 40,000 basalt stones (we didn’t take time to count) of various formations located where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea and created when a giant on the Atlantic side got into an argument with a giant on the Irish side.  Finn MacCool (gotta love the name) was on the Irish side.  Day after day the giants argued and hurled stones at one another.  Eventually the Atlantic giant had had enough.  He began throwing stones into the ocean between his land and Finn’s, creating a bridge for himself.  Finn saw what the giant was doing and went running to his wife.  “Oh my goodness!  What have I done?!”  he cried.  “That giant is huge!  I don’t stand a chance against him!” 

“Leave it to me,” his wife answered calmly.  “Climb in that crib over there in the corner and keep quiet.”

Minutes later the other giant was rapping on the door.  Mrs. MacCool opened the door, and the giant said, “Where’s that MacCool?  I’ve come to settle a score with him!” 

“He’s not home just now,” Mrs. MacCool calmly replied.  “Why don’t you come in and have a Guinness while you wait.  He’ll be back shortly.”

The giant entered the home and started to have a seat when he noticed the crib at the back of the room.  Curious, he went to say hello to the wee one.  There was Finnis MacCool, all diapered and cooing.  “Oh my goodness!”  The giant thought to himself.  “If the baby’s this big, how big must the father be?  I don’t stand a chance!”  And he ran out the door and back across the ocean, never to be seen again.  And this is how the formations that are the Giants’ Causeway were created.  Or maybe they were created 50-60 million years ago by an ancient volcanic eruption.  You decide.  If the scenery looks familiar maybe you recognize it from the latest ‘Star Wars’ movie, scenes from which were filmed here.

Along the way we passed by Dunluce Castle ruins, said to be the inspiration for C.S. Lewis’ ‘Chronicles of Narnia.’  Lewis grew up playing in these ruins, occupied by various Scottish clans until the town was abandoned in 1770.  Billy the Kid is also from this area.

We stopped to check out the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge Ken was supposed to cross today.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), there weren’t enough adventurous souls to join him and the excursion was canceled.  Too bad, because Ken would have loved to do this – especially after he saw where it was located.  Fishermen used to have salmon fishing nets off Carrick-A-Reed Island.  The bridge was erected over a 98 feet deep and 65 feet wide chasm, giving them a way to get to those nets.  The bridge is made entirely of rope and originally had a rail on only one side.  Fishermen carrying their gear only had one hand available to hold onto a rail with, so a second rail was unnecessary.  Take a look at these pictures and imagine crossing that bridge with your arms full of fishing gear and only one rope “rail.”  There’s a reason Pam signed up for the Causeway tour and left the bridge crossing to Ken!

Ken couldn’t possibly be in the land of Guinness and not give it a try, so after trekking through the Giants’ Causeway we joined friends at a local pub where Ken sampled the Guinness and Ted put Irish whiskey to the test.

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Pam was sharing with the ship’s hairdresser, Mario, how disappointed she was that we would be so close to London when the ship docked in Southampton, UK, but not have enough time to do anything more than drive through.  Mario had the perfect solution:  get off the ship in Southampton, spend the next two nights in London, and get back on the ship at its next stop in Liverpool.  What a great idea!

We immediately set to work booking a hotel, train tickets and activities, only to receive a notification from the train company a few days later that a strike was planned and could lead to service outages.  Rather than take the risk, Ken stepped up to the challenge of driving a standard on the “wrong” side of the road and off we went.  What a fabulous 48-hour adventure!

A short cab ride got us from the ship to Hertz and minutes later we were on our way – Ken shifting and Pam navigating.  Two-and-a-half hours of white-knuckle driving and a few missed round-about exits later we arrived at the garage.  We tucked the car away and set out to find our hotel in Trafalgar square.  It took some doing, but we found it tucked away in an alley just off the square and had just enough time to drop off our bags, get a life-saving map and directions from the staff to the meeting point for our first excursion and grab a quick lunch at Burger King (of all places!).  It took all of three minutes to walk to the “tube” (subway station).  Thanks to our time in DC visiting Kim and Jack we knew just what to do to get our tickets and gain entry for the train.  Using the tube was a piece of cake, and the map helped us find the rest of the way to the tour – a visit to Windsor Castle!

It began to rain on our way to the Castle (what visit to London wouldn’t be complete without a little rain?) and continued for most of the time we were there.  We were supposed to have three hours at the Castle, but by the time we walked the mile-and-a-half from the bus to the ticket counter (okay, maybe we exaggerate – but only a little) and waited in the incredibly long line to get in, we were left with a little more than an hour.  It ended up being plenty of time, and we loved it! 

The plan was to be back at the hotel by 6:30, plenty of time to change and clean up before reporting for our dinner cruise on the River Thames.  Unfortunately, the bus got stuck in traffic, and it was soon clear there would be no time for changing.  Then it became clear there would be no time for stopping by the hotel.  Then it became clear we needed a new plan, or we wouldn’t make it at all.  Enter the life-saving map.  We found the pier the cruise was leaving from, the tube station nearest the pier, and the tube station nearest our drop-off point.  We mapped out the route, and when the bus finally dropped us off at a little after 7:00 we made the mad dash to the pier…but where was the loading point for the cruise????  Thankfully it stopped raining long enough for us to figure that out, and we stepped onto our boat, a little worse for the wear from the day in the rain and our frantic run for the boat, but just in time for a thoroughly enjoyable cruise.  The rain began again almost as soon as we sat down, but it stopped early enough for us to be able to enjoy some time on the top deck and get some good pictures.

We were up early the next day for our London in a Day tour that took us to the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace (the public is only allowed to tour the inside in July and August when the queen is on holiday), a tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Tower of London.  Along the way we enjoyed a great panoramic tour of the city and its many landmarks and incredible historic buildings.  We finished the day just in time to drop our things at the hotel and find dinner before hitting a London play.  We had dinner in this great basement chophouse that used to be a brothel and enjoyed terrific seats at a play that involved great acting and a story that wasn’t so great (for us).

We were out the door again by 7:00 a.m. Friday, taking ourselves on a walking tour of London’s Parliament Square, the House of Parliament, and Big Ben on our way to a self-guided tour of Westminster Abbey.  Our goal was to be on the road by 11:15, so it was important to be at the head of the line when Westminster opened.  Good thing we were!  We were third in line when we got there at 8:30; by the time the doors opened at 9:30 it was an hour wait from the end of the line – and growing.  We were in the car and on the road by 11:25.  With no time for bathroom stops or food we made it to Liverpool a little before 5:00 – only 50 minutes past the time we were supposed to have the car back, but 2 hours before the ship was set to sail.  The guy at Hertz gave us a ride to the ship and all was well. 

Word to the wise:  if you’re planning a trip to London you definitely need more than 48 hours.  Giver yourself at least 7-10 days, but if you’ve got 48 hours to kill, London’s a great place to do it!

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Today we visited a 14^th Century castle that has been occupied by the same family for more than 700 years.  The original castle was built in 778 by Charlemagne, but all that is left of it are a few wall ruins.  The current castle was built in 1306 by the nephew of Pope Clement V.  It is part of two fortresses built in the 12^th and 14^th Centuries inside a waterless moat.  The castle was built to be a fortress.  The moat has never held water and was never intended to; instead there are tunnels beneath it that served as an escape route for the family if the castle was ever attacked.  The purpose of the moat was to buy them time.  There were no windows in the original structure, and no doors in the entry way.  Its entry was hidden; by the time attackers located it they would have been pummeled by arrows.

Between 1860 and 1870 the castle was restored and somewhat transformed by the same architect who did Notre Dame and one of his pupils.  They added windows and doorways, converted old stables into a formal dining room for entertaining…all kinds of creative things.   All those changes remain in place today.

There is also a private chapel on site where the family still has private ceremonies like baptisms.  Absolutely nothing has been done to the chapel since it was originally built.  The paint on the ceilings and alter look as if it was placed there yesterday.  It is a compound of natural pigment, oils and egg whites.  The chapel was built facing the east so that when the light shines through in the morning it illuminates the stained glass creating a beautiful affect.

We were guided through the castle and its grounds by a very crotchety well-informed gentleman.  Pam commented to someone that he must be a member of the family; otherwise he would have been fired for rudeness long ago.  Turns out he is a member of the family!  He is a son of the current family.  The parents have both passed away, but one sibling lives in the main house of the castle, another lives on a vineyard owned by the family and this guy lives in the quarters above what used to be the stables and are now guest bathrooms.  Guess we might be a little grouchy with that arrangement, too.

We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the castle, but Pam was able to find some online that will give you a sense of its grandeur.  We were told that the family still uses the kitchen every single day.  It looked just like it does in the picture we’ve included here, so we’re not so sure we believe him.

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If you’ve been to Bordeaux but haven’t been here in the last five years you might not recognize it. We’re told the government has invested significant money sprucing things up and it appears they have succeeded.

We arrived in Bordeaux early one sunny Sunday morning to find people walking their dogs, joggers getting their morning run in, and cyclists enjoying a quiet morning ride.  As the day progressed we observed friends and families gathered in community gardens and open green spaces for impromptu picnics or enjoying the city’s “swimming pool,” large concrete area similar to what we call “splash pools” in the U.S., but with water seeping out of small openings throughout the pads rather than through fountains.  The air was filled with an unmistakable “chill” vibe, and it was immediately clear that whoever you are, wherever you are on your journey in life you are welcome here.  Floor to ceiling apartment windows were flung open to fresh air and sunshine, their small balconies beckoning the inhabitants to take a step outside while enjoying their morning drink of choice.,

We didn’t have any excursions planned for our first day here; instead we spent the day wandering the streets, admiring the many monuments around the city and drinking in the culture.  We passed by the Bordeaux Cathedral, dedicated to St. Andre, and its bell tower, Tour Pey Berland, topped with the beautiful gold statue, Notre Dam d’Aquitaine.  A service was underway so we didn’t get to see the inside, but you can just imagine how magnificent it must be.  At the end of the Quincones Square, the town’s principal square, we found Pam’s favorite statue, the Girondins.  Girondis is a monument to the memory of all of those who perished during the French Revolution when many people were killed for trying to implement democracy.  The French Statue of Liberty positioned at the top of the monument represents the triumph of the Republic in this very important battle.

After a relaxing day exploring the town we were treated to another Around the World Special Event – dinner at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, a 14^th Century winery purchased by a couple of French Olympic skiers in 1990 who knew nothing about the wine business, but loved the location of the winery and the fact that it was one of the few in the region that produced both white and red wines.  When they purchased the property, the winery was not known for producing quality wines, but the couple quickly set to work learning their new trade and by 2000 the reputation of the winery was beginning to change.  They are now viewed as trendsetters, using satellite imagery to determine when best to initiate the hand-picking of all their grapes, applying the latest optical sorting technologies.  They have a beautiful property that offered a wonderful setting for a delicious meal.

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Today we are in Basque country – Bilbao Spain.  Driving through this vibrant city today you would never guess that a little less than 30 years ago it was a town struggling to survive after the collapse of its steel and shipbuilding industries.  Bilbao rallied by investing heavily in culture, with the Guggenheim museum at the center of that investment.  The Guggenheim opened in 1992. Since then it has attracted more than 20 million visitors to the city, a phenomenon now known as “the Bilbao” or “Guggenheim effect.”

Our time was spent among the farms and green pastures about 40 minutes outside of Bilbao, visiting the world’s best collection of Rolls-Royces and other luxury vehicles housed on the grounds of an ancient castle.  Sound romantic?  It was pretty cool.

The castle and its collection were owned by Miguel de la Via and his wife, who made their fortune in the limestone quarries of the area.  They did not have any children but were very close to their nieces and nephews who now own and maintain the property, the cars and the quarry – the largest in Spain.  De la Via purchased the overgrown grounds and ruins in 1985 and set to work restoring the castle to its original grandeur.  He also bought adjoining property to protect his privacy.  All told the property includes about 50 acres bought to be the couple’s summer home.  It continues to serve that same purpose for the nieces and nephews and their families.

That same year he also began collecting his prized automobiles.  He was in his mid-20s at the time.  By the time de la Via died in 2009 at the age of 72 his collection had grown to 72 cars, 45 of which are Rolls Royces.  Along the way he hired a gentleman to help care for the cars.  That same man continues the job today.  His son began accompanying him when he was just 7 and joined him as an employee when he was 18.  He was our guide for the day. 

The cars fill a total of 6 showrooms and in addition to the Rolls include a Jaguar, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Cadillac Hispano Suiza and Ford Model T.  Among the more unique items is a stagecoach once owned by a Spanish Count who would use the stagecoach to travel more than 700 km at a time.  It would take two weeks to make the journey, so the Count had a toilet built into the stagecoach to make the trip a little more…comfortable.  There is also a 1936 firetruck that is one of only three of its kind left in the world.  There are two black Rolls Royces previously owned by the Queen mother.  One is a convertible, her summer car; the other a hardtop for winter.  He has a RR Phantom IV owned by the ruler of Kuwait.  There were only 18 of these vehicles made.  The collection includes a list of every one of the 18 vehicles paired with its original owner.

The most prestigious of the collection are kept in the castle’s Loizaga Tower, complete with a red carpet, chandeliers and classical music playing in the background.  This is where the first models of the Silver Ghost series can be found. 

Each of the cars is started every 1-2 days, driven at least once a week and cleaned every Monday and Friday.  Not a bad job, eh?

Following our visit to the museum we enjoyed a panoramic tour of Bilbao (including the famed Guggenheim museum) and made a short visit to the town square area of Bilbao before heading back to the ship.

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Suffering from a sinus infection Pam begged out of touring today, leaving Ken to explore the city on his own.  Facing a historic town of historic churches, old palaces, a 2^nd Century lighthouse, and unique fisherman houses, Ken made the only sensible choice – he headed straight for the castle!

Located in the center of the old town, the San Anton castle keeps watch over the entrance to the port.  Built as a means of defense for the Coruna people in the 16^th Century the castle today serves as an archaeological and history museum.  Ken had a great time exploring the grounds and enjoying the views before heading back to check on Pam (who’s doing just fine, by the way).

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We are loving Portugal!  Today we discovered the wonderful town of Porto.  We toured a beautiful old cathedral, visited a magnificent train station, learned the history of the area’s port wine industry, and felt the wind in our hair as we cruised under the town’s six bridges on a river boat.  We drove through the town’s Lion’s Square, passing by the world’s most beautiful McDonald’s (it used to be an imperial house; when it was converted to a McDonald’s they kept the original chandeliers and other items, making it the most unique McDonald’s you’re ever likely to visit), a church with the largest external panel of ceramic tiles in the city, and the skinniest house in the world. 

Just as Champaign can be legitimately called Champaign only if it comes from a specific region in France, wine can only be legitimately called Port if it comes from the Douro Valley of Portugal.  We visited Cockburn’s, in business in this same location since the 17^th Century, and the oldest Port wine manufacturer in the region.  Port wine earned its name in the 12^th Century when monks in the area began shipping their product downriver.  Buyers there began referring to it as Port wine because it came from the town of Port.

Once a 16^th Century Benedictine Monastery, the Sao Bento Railway Station has been in operation since 1901.  The tiles of the station were put in a place a few years later.  Along the top of the walls are scenes that depict the evolution of Porto’s transportation systems.  The blue and white tiles that decorate the walls illustrate the history of the city, including epic battles and important figures from the area’s history.  The artistry is incredible.

The skinniest house in Porto stands between two churches, one built in 1628 for Carmelite nuns and the other for an order of monks in 1768.  A law existed at the time that made it illegal for the two churches to share a wall (probably something to do with separation of the sexes), so rather than simply leave a 3’ wide space between the two they built a house there.  We’re told the house was actually occupied until 1980.  Talk about a tiny house!

Fun fact of the day:  JK Rowling of Harry Potter fame is married to a Portuguese man and lived in Porto for a while.  It is said that this where she got much of her inspiration for the imagery of the Harry Potter series…the uniform the students of Hogwarts wear is the same as the traditional Porto university uniform.  Rowling is also credited with saving a landmark bookstore from bankruptcy.  The story goes that despite being named the 3^rd most beautiful bookstore in the world, the store was scheduled to file bankruptcy the same week Rowling commented in an interview that its bookcase inspired the one in her book.  The bookstore became famous overnight.  Last year its sales topped $3M.  Pretty nice impact, eh?

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High on a hill in the mountains of Sintra, Portugal sits the beautiful Palace of Pena.  Originally constructed as a 15^th Century monastery that was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1755, the Palace occupies 85 acres.  Arriving at the palace gates requires one to navigate a lengthy series of hairpin turns on a steep and narrow cobblestone road before hiking an additional mile or so on foot up the steep hillside, but it is worth the effort. 

Like so many of the buildings we’ve seen along the way, the architectural design of the palace contains a great deal of symbolism.  The entry gate retains markings of its beginnings as a monastery:  the hand above the arch signifies the right hand of God presiding over the place.  Continuing up the walkway, another arch portrays the four stations of the cross.  Four wolfskins adorn the top of the same entry symbolizing the King’s Masonic membership, and snakes carved into the columns signify the union between the royal couple’s two countries, Germany and Portugal.  The first royal family moved into the palace in 1847.  In 1885 the King who was living in the palace was assassinated, along with his son.  His wife and remaining son immediately fled the area, taking very little of their possessions with them.  The state of Portugal assumed ownership of the palace and turned it into a museum, leaving it almost exactly as it was when the Queen and young prince fled.

After lunch in the town of Sentra, we headed to Caba da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, long thought by some to be the end of the world.  When you stand at the edge of the 500-foot rocky ledge, with nothing but sea as far as they eye can see, it is easy to understand how one might draw that conclusion.  This cape is where north and south winds meet, and they are in a serious battle for superiority.  It’s all you can do to stand up straight as your blasted by gusts from all sides.  Not even the pine trees can grow here; the severe winds keep them from ever becoming more than mere bushes hugging the ground for survival.

Further along the coast is the seaside town of Cascais, known for its sandy beaches.  Cascais was the first “resort” city in Portugal and the first city in the country to have electricity.  American singer Brian Williams spent part of his childhood here, and has said his song, “The Summer of ’69” was inspired by his time in Cascais.

Oh!  And we learned something new today.  Do you know where the word “tea” comes from?  Turns out it is an anagram for:  Transportation Herbs Aromatic.  Turns out a Portuguese woman became the Queen of England in the 16^th Century, bringing with her love of herbs steeped in hot water.  The King would have the herbs shipped to England, and on the boxes was stamped: “Herbs Aromatic Transportation,” which became TEA.  You learn something new every day!

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We arrived in Lisbon just in time for our 1:15 tour to Obidos, a town whose history dates back to 308 BC.   Ken climbed the walls of the Obidos Castle, a 12^th Century fortification that played a major strategic and military role in Portugal’s emergence as a nation.  He walked the full mile of its exterior walls and enjoyed some fantastic views.

Meanwhile, Pam checked out the town’s trademark Ginja, a liqueur made from sour cherries grown in the area using a recipe developed by a local 17^th Century monastery.  The liqueur is served in edible dark chocolate cups, adding to its lusciousness!

Narrow cobblestone streets of whitewashed buildings that play host to well-established bougainvillea give the city its captivating charm.  We visited Parish Church of Sana Maria in the town’s Pillory Square offers, whose interior is decorated with the blue and white tiles Portugal is so well known for. 

It was a nice little town, and we were confident we had plenty of time to complete our visit and make it back to the ship in time to join friends for a sunset river cruise we had scheduled for tonight.  What we didn’t know was that what was originally billed as a 4-hour tour had been changed to a 5-hour tour, and that traffic would make that 5-hour tour a 6-hour tour.  Uh-oh!

We didn’t find out until we arrived at Obidos that the length of the tour had been changed.  We immediately emailed our friends to let them know that we would be about 30 minutes late meeting them.  When we began our return trip Google maps said we’d be back at 6:00.  We were originally planning to meet our friends at 6:00, so we breathed a sigh of relief – allowing time to run back to our cabin to drop things off and pick up some additional layers of clothing we should only be a few minutes late.  Ken continued monitoring the route as we drove.  Now it said arrival at 6:15, then 6:20, then 6:35, then 6:45…. this was not good.  We emailed our friends and told them to leave without us.  Ken had already called ahead to the boat rental company and told them we’d be 15 minutes late; now we wondered if we would make it at all.  Just as the bus pulled into the port parking lot at 6:45, friends of ours were exiting a taxi.  Pam flagged the driver down as he pulled away and arranged for him to take us to the river cruise.  Ken stayed with the taxi to be sure he didn’t drive away while Pam ran to the cabin for the extra layers.  Our awesome taxi driver raced to the sailing pier while Ken took a call from our friends and assured them, once again, we were on our way.  We finally made it to the sailboat at 7:25, and off we went.

Oh my gosh!  It was so much fun!  Pam has always sworn she would never get on a sailboat for fear of sliding off.  Turns out those fears were legit!  They say you need wind to sail, and we definitely had that!  It was a blustery 60 degrees as we headed out; good thing there was green wine (yes, green!) and beer to keep us warm.  The captain raised the sails and the tilting began.  Our friends Rich and Bob were on the wrong side of the boat for that and found themselves hanging on for dear life.  It was hilarious!  Pam was on the opposite side, but her turn was coming.  We laughed so hard we cried and witnessed a beautiful sunset.  It was well worth the effort to get there, and we’re so glad we made it!

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Seville, Spain is best known as the home of Flamenco dancing. One would think that we would take advantage of being here to witness some impressive displays of that dance, but by the time we arrived we were ready for a break. Instead of touring we opted for a quiet wander through the narrow alleyways and social courtyards, and a walk along its beautiful beach. It was a bit chilly for our tastes, but the locals didn’t seem to mind! The town square was just beginning to come to life as we made our way back to the ship, and that’s when we came across the fellow with the marionettes. Enjoy this little taste of Seville…

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Barcelona is one of our favorite cities.  It has an energy fed by history, incredible architecture and a genuine spirit of hospitality.  Having been here before we opted to keep it simple and do the hop on/hop off tour.  Here are some of the highlights…

Our first stop involved a gondola ride to a castle at the top of Barcelona’s one mountain, Montjuic, Castell De Montjuic.  What became a symbol of government repression began as a simple medieval lighthouse.  In the mid-1600’s Barcelona’s government ordered that a small walled fort be erected around the lighthouse to protect the city during a period of revolt.  Over time that small fort became a fortress, then a military prison.  Towards the end of the 19^th Century state repression of social uprisings was indiscriminate.  The castle was used as a place for imprisonment, torture, trials and executions.  During Barcelona’s Civil War nearly 1,500 people were imprisoned in the fortress; 250 were executed.  In 1940 the president of Catalonia was executed here – the only democratically-elected incumbent President in Europe to be executed.  Today it is a history museum.

Back on the bus we rode past the National Palace, now home to the National Museum of Catalan Art (NMAC).  The Palace was originally built as the main building and an architectural exhibit for Barcelona’s 1929 International Exhibition (like a world fair).  The Exhibition focused on industry, sports and art, and offered an opportunity for engineers and architects to experiment with new techniques.  As far as we can find out no one ever occupied the National Palace; following the Exhibition it was immediately converted into the NMAC, Barcelona’s largest museum of any kind.

The Plaza De Spaniard was also built as part of the 1929 Exhibition.

Built in 1900, the Las Arenas de Barcelona was one of three bullfighting rings in Barcelona and had a seating capacity of 15,000.  A declining interest in bullfighting led to the closure of the ring in 1977.  It reopened as a major shopping center in 2011with a huge rooftop viewing platform and is now one of the city’s main attractions for night-time viewing activities.

The Hospital San Paul was created in 1401 when six individual hospitals within Barcelona merged to become one.  By the end of the 19^th Century the city had outgrown the hospital’s original buildings, and this new complex opened in 1930.  It continued to serve the city uninterrupted until 2009 when a more modern facility was opened just down the road.  In 2014 the building was converted into a museum of art nouveau architecture.

Pam’s love of Barcelona is tied directly to its most famous architect, Anthony Gaudi.  Last time we were in Barcelona we made a comprehensive visit to his famous church project, La Sagrada Familia and walked through his apartment building, Casa Mila.  Her goal today was to walk through Casa Battlo, a second apartment complex he built, and the famous Park Guell.  Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at Casa Battlo there was not enough time to tour it and make it to the park, so we opted to get back on the bus and head straight to the park.  Alas, all the tickets for touring the park had been sold by the time we arrived.  Looks like we’ll just have to come back.  We did find some pictures of the park on the Internet, though, and are including them here.  And for those interested in knowing more…

In 1885 Gaudi was commissioned to design a “garden city” that would be home to 60 villas set amidst a massive park.  Only two of the villas were ever completed – one occupied by the developer who commissioned the project and the other by Gaudi.  Gaudi’s designs were a little too “over the top” for the aristocrats of his day, and the developer was never able to sell the additional plots.  After several years of trying, he turned to Gaudi one day and told him it was time to move on.  Instead of making this a residential area they would turn it into a public park where everyone could enjoy Gaudi’s creativity.  The park was opened in 1922 and handed over to the city in 1929.  Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at  

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What a fantastic day! Today we got brave and scheduled a personal tour.  We were joined by a couple of our new friends and had a perfect (and full!) day in Rome.

Our first stop was the Catacombs of St. Sebastian.  Discovered in 1920 the Catacombs of St. Sebastian were a 2^nd Century Christian cemetery for more than 300 years.  It contains three levels of burial crypts; the first level is 15’ below the surface. The third and final level is 45’ below the surface.  There are more than 7 miles of tunnels built into volcanic rock, and each tunnel contains a variety of tombs and relics.  Some tombs are for one person, some for an entire family.  Loved ones would have come to the tombs to honor their dead with flowers or sacred oils just as we do with flowers on cemetery graves today.  Graffiti on the walls include prayers, poems and tributes to the apostles Peter and Paul.  More than 600 individual prayers have been found.  Some of the tombs contain headstones telling us about the person(s) buried here.  There are many tombs for small children.  One crypt is for a 75-year-old Roman man who converted to Christianity.  St. Sebastian, for whom the tombs are named, was also buried here.  He was a soldier in the Roman army who created to Christianity after a Christian woman healed his wounds from a poison arrow.  The arrow was said to have gone all the way through his body, entering on one side and sticking out the other.  Having survived the poisoned arrow St. Sebastian was later persecuted and whipped to death for his beliefs.

In the 3^rd Century AD a mausoleum was built above the catacombs.  St. Sebastian’s remains were moved here.  In the 4^th Century AD a cemeterial basilica was built on the spot to pay tribute to the apostles Peter and Paul.  The chapel next to the Catacombs was built in 1612.  Only a portion remains today – the original building was three times larger than the one we visited.  The wooden ceiling is amazing, as is the artwork, including a bust from the famous Italian sculptor Lorenzo Bernini.

Our next stop took us from 12^th Century AD to 1^st Century AD.  We began with the Basilica of St. Clement, which was known to have been built on top of a 4^th Century AD basilica.  The original basilica was destroyed by the Normans in 1084.  The Pope repaired it as best he could, but it was found to be unsafe around 1100 AD.  The decision was made to fill it with dirt and use it as the foundation for the current church.  This was discovered in 1857.  What wasn’t know was that the 4^th Century Church was built on top of yet another building, a private residence from the 3^rd Century.  The residence was owned by a man named, coincidentally, Clement, a Roman who converted to Christianity and secretly allowed church services to beheld in his home.  A narrow alley separates this home from a 1^st Century AD building, thought to be an apartment complex.  Within that building is evidence of a Mithraic religious site, a religion that was outlawed in 395 AD.  The 1^st Century building provides the cornerstone of the entire complex of the current structure.  Yet another building was recently found below the 1^st Century building, but excavations have not yet begun.

Our final stop of the morning was the Crypt of the Capuchin Friars.  Made completely of human bones, this may seem a creepy place to visit, but when you understand the context and purpose of its construction, it’s kinda cool.  Created in the 18^th Century, the crypt contains the remains of 3700 monks arranged in a variety of ways to decorate hallways and six distinct rooms.  The bodies of the monks were exhumed because there was no longer room in the monastery’s small cemetery for new bodies.  The exhumed bodies had to go somewhere.  It is unknown who came up with it, but someone had the ingenious idea to use the monks’ bodies to create a positive representation of Christian faith.  The main message of the crypt became:  Death is nothing to be afraid of.  Where you are now is what used to be; where we are now is what will be.  The crypt became a place of honor, and a few more monks were buried among the bones, a tribute to their service and commitment to Christ.  Everything in the crypt is made from human bones – lamps, altars, wall decorations…everything.

Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures in any of these first three stops, but Pam found some on the Internet that will give you some sense of what we experienced.

We had a wonderful lunch at a local Italian restaurant – SO much delicious food and great company at an incredibly low price – and then it was off for photo opportunities at the Piazza Navona, the Statue of Reunification and the Coliseum.  Our drive, Achile, got us back to the ship just 15 minutes past the All Aboard time, but they let us back on anyway.  It was a fantastic day!

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With a history that dates back nearly 3,000 years to the ancient Greeks who founded the Naples area during the 8^th Century BC, Naples is home to Pompeii and Herculaneum, two famous sites destroyed and conserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.  We visited these sites when we were here 6 years ago, so we opted for a visit to the city of Naples this time around.

Naples is also home to the Vesuvius Observatory which monitors seismic activity, gas emissions and other indicators 24 hours a day with the goal of knowing at the earliest possible moment when the volcano may blow.  Experts say there is a growing bubbling mass of magma, like a “boiling pot of soup” beneath the volcano, and it could erupt any time, but no one really knows. 

Our walking tour of Naples took us through the Piazza Plebiscito where the Santa Maria degli Angeli a Pizzofalcone (say that three times fast!), a Baroque-style church designed by Francesco Grimaldi, is located.  It is also where the San Carlo Opera House and Royal Palace are located.  Since the 17^th Century Napoleans have used the piazza to hold large festivals, ceremonies and military parades.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t go inside any of these great buildings, but we enjoyed admiring them from afar.

Not far from the piazza is the beautiful Galleria Umberto, built in the late 1800s as a covered walkway and operating today as a four-story shopping mall.  Sculptures, mosaics and extraordinary plasterwork cover the building from the floor to the ceiling.  Everywhere you look there’s something breathtaking to look at.

There are 3 castles in Naples, and we visited one of them, Castle Nuovo.  The castle was built in 1279 and throughout its history was used as a private royal residence.  Today it houses the city council offices and two museums.

We had a little time before we had to rejoin our group, so we opted to stop into a local restaurant/bar.  The bar was located inside; the restaurant was outside.  We placed our order at one counter, received a ticket to present at the bar, and stood at the bar to enjoy our drinks.  Ken stuck to his traditional beer, and Pam had her first taste of limoncello (potent stuff!).  While we were enjoying our beverages, food began appearing…first it was crackers, then the olives, then a whole plate of hot appetizers – all free.  Italians really know how to treat you!

Did you know that the very first pizzeria in the world was opened in Naples in 1830?  And the classic Margherita pizza originated here.  It was created for visiting King Umberto I and queen Margherita.  Wanting to make a more patriotic-looking pizza, the chef used red tomato sauce, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves as toppings.  The Queen fell in love with it and Margherita pizza was born.

We had just enough time when we got back from Naples for a quick stroll through Sorrento, where our ship was anchored.  Sorrento is one of our favorite cities and we couldn’t remember why we had signed up for this tour of Naples instead of staying here and enjoying beautiful Sorrento.  Guess we’ll just have to come back!

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Today we visited Delphi, Greece, situated 2,000’ above sea level on the slopes of Mount Paranassu, and believed by ancient Greeks to be the physical and spiritual center of the universe.

According to Greek mythology, Zeus sent two eagles, one from each of the Universe, and told them to find the “navel” of the world.  The two eagles went their separate ways.  They ended up meeting in Delphi at the same time and Zeus declared it the center of the universe (after all, two eagles can’t be wrong, right?).

Delphi became a sacred site and home to the most famous oracle, a high priestess who could foresee the future.  People came from all over Greece and beyond to have their questions about the future answered by the Priestess of Apollo.  To divine the answers, the priestess would crawl underground through a narrow corridor to a cave where she would stay until she received answers from the gods.  She would emerge from the cave often seeming to be dazed and confused or in a state of shock.  Only the high priest could interpret her sometime cryptic answers to the questions that had been posed.  According to one source, if the questioner didn’t like the answer given, he could often acquire “clarity” with the payment of a few more gold coins.

Today it is known that two faults intersect directly below the Delphi temple where the caves were located.  Geologists have also determined that hallucinogenic gasses rising from a nearby spring are preserved within the temple rock.  One of the gasses is known to produce a narcotic effect.  These findings are in line with the legend attributing the Oracle’s magic powers to vapors in the cave.  It was believed the steam in the cave produced a gas that, when inhaled, gave clarity of mind and allowed an individual to see the future.

The 3-hour drive from the port to Delphi took us through a great little village with narrow little streets.  There were quite a few gasps and heart-stopping moments as our driver maneuvered our giant bus down these streets, around parked cars, on-coming traffic and inattentive pedestrians!

Our visit included a tour of the Delphi museum and the ruins of the Delphi community.

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Today we visited Delphi, Greece, situated 2,000’ above sea level on the slopes of Mount Paranassu, and believed by ancient Greeks to be the physical and spiritual center of the universe.

According to Greek mythology, Zeus sent two eagles, one from each of the Universe, and told them to find the “navel” of the world.  The two eagles went their separate ways.  They ended up meeting in Delphi at the same time and Zeus declared it the center of the universe (after all, two eagles can’t be wrong, right?).

Delphi became a sacred site and home to the most famous oracle, a high priestess who could foresee the future.  People came from all over Greece and beyond to have their questions about the future answered by the Priestess of Apollo.  To divine the answers, the priestess would crawl underground through a narrow corridor to a cave where she would stay until she received answers from the gods.  She would emerge from the cave often seeming to be dazed and confused or in a state of shock.  Only the high priest could interpret her sometime cryptic answers to the questions that had been posed.  According to one source, if the questioner didn’t like the answer given, he could often acquire “clarity” with the payment of a few more gold coins.

Today it is known that two faults intersect directly below the Delphi temple where the caves were located.  Geologists have also determined that hallucinogenic gasses rising from a nearby spring are preserved within the temple rock.  One of the gasses is known to produce a narcotic effect.  These findings are in line with the legend attributing the Oracle’s magic powers to vapors in the cave.  It was believed the steam in the cave produced a gas that, when inhaled, gave clarity of mind and allowed an individual to see the future.

The 3-hour drive from the port to Delphi took us through a great little village with narrow little streets.  There were quite a few gasps and heart-stopping moments as our driver maneuvered our giant bus down these streets, around parked cars, on-coming traffic and inattentive pedestrians!

Our visit included a tour of the Delphi museum and the ruins of the Delphi community.

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