Category Archive

08/11, Belfast, Northern Ireland: Mostly known for “The Troubles,” those 30 grueling years of Protestant/Catholic fighting and bloodshed from the late 1960s to late 1990s, but the city is so much more. It has been a globally renowned ship-building city w/many yards, including the one that built the RMS Titanic. Though soccer is the favorite sport here, “hurling” is the … Read More

08/10, Isle of Man: It’s the singular island between Ireland and England. (Really, look it up.) The country is under British rule, but has more of a Gaelic heritage. Merely 32×14 miles in size; yet some scholars believe the earliest evidence of colonization dates back to 6500 BC! What? Their language is Manx; and if you’ve ever heard of a … Read More

08/08, at sea cruising the English Channel: We passed by Belgium, now England is on our right and France is on our left. Well, I guess we floated right over the Chunnel, that 31 mile rail tunnel linking England and France at 99 miles per hour. We’re cruising down and around the southern coast of England to arrive in Dublin, … Read More

08/05, at sea en route to Rotterdam, Holland: Due to it’s strategic location on the North Sea, the city is the largest cargo port in all Europe. We’re not sure what we’ll do there, but tomorrow we’re hopping a train early to go to Haarlem (near Amsterdam) to see Corrie ten Boom’s house—just maybe Cindi’s top bucket list dream! The … Read More

08/03, Alesund, Norway: Today we began three 1-day stops in Norway, a strange country on par with the latitudes of Alaska, Greenland, and Siberia but for some reason much warmer—and therefore more beautiful and colorful. All three stops are inland from the ocean, the furthest being about 100 miles from the coast at Eidfjord. Imagine a huge cruise ship coming … Read More

08/01, at sea in the Norwegian Sea: After two days in Reykjavik, we cruise open water for two days. We’re traversing the home of countless watery tombs of German U-boat submarines and destroyers from WWII, many of them over a mile and a half deep. This area just touches the North Atlantic Ocean, known for large numbers of humpbacks and … Read More

07/30, Reykjavik, Iceland: Ahh, the world’s northern most capital of a nation. Found by Vikings in the 870s during the height of the Great Heathen Army of Norse clans who ransacked and conquered most of England. [Iceland soccer fans are still celebrating their recent, unbelievable win over England in the EuroCup.] We plan to go to Blue Lagoon, their famous … Read More

07/28, Prince Christian Sound, Greenland: Holland America Line calls it “scenic cruising” for a dang good reason! Imagine the Rocky Mountains laced with turquoisy glaciers nestled right up to a deep yet unruffled Pacific Ocean. Now, due to the depth of the water, imagine getting surprisingly close on your ship. Stunning! This part of the world is prime for viewing … Read More

07/27, Qaqortoq, Greenland: Always heard Greenland is icy white and Iceland is pretty green. Not here. Looks like another fishing town, but w/amazing fjords and glaciers. Part of the regional ‘Iceberg Capital of the World’ and a rare place to watch blue ice (frozen hunks of ocean water). This obscure town has had constant human presence for about 4300 years—that’s … Read More

07/25, Red Bay, Labrador (Canada): A former whaling town established in the mid-1500s. And, yes, Labrador Retrievers were originally bred here in this region. And, no, we’re not bringing you a puppy. Yesterday we were in Corner Brook, the biggest town (20,000) on Newfoundland, Canada. It was started by a British Royal Navy Captain and cartographer and was supposedly used … Read More