The sail-away view our first night leaving Budapest was the most spectacular we have ever had. You need to watch the video later in the blog to see it. Beautiful! But wait, there’s MORE… You get three fine videos in this blog.
Cruising the Danube
Tag Archives: cruise
Mediterranean Cruise
The iconic European Vespa scooter.
Wandering about Rhodes, Greece, on our Mediterranean cruise photographing the unique doors was a highlight on this day. What is this home like inside? Very few windows and the few there are seem to be boarded up. Does the home open in the back with a grand terrace or patio? The pipe flagpole holder is not simply for displaying the Greek flag. Throughout Europe there are many competitions, cultural festivities, town rivalries and soccer matches, all of which may result in flying a local team or regional flag.
Antarctica at Last
A lone penguin stretches and seems to take in the view.
Many tourists visiting Antarctica fly one way and cruise the other. That is exactly what we did. We flew from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica and cruised the Drake Passage to Ushuaia, Argentina on our return. However, just getting to the take-off point for Antarctica from Punta Arenas is no easy task. Weather conditions flying from Punta Arenas are very uncertain, casting doubt on any planned take off. The weather window must be constantly studied and adjusted. Continue reading
Antarctica Quest
We visited Antarctica in March of 2024. I’ve completed a journey to all seven continents now. Whoopie! Our visit was at the end of the southern hemisphere summer cruise season, with only one excursion later than ours. Ours was a cruise full of penguins, leopard seals, more penguins and best of all, singing whales. But first, we have to get there…. Our Antarctic quest would begin by flying from Atlanta to Punta Arenas at the southern tip of Chile, then flying on to Antarctica, then cruising back to Ushuaia, Argentina.
Greenland Villages
Nanortalik, Greenland Field of Dreams
Greenland villages are small by any standard. The largest town in Greenland, the largest island on earth, has less than 20,000 inhabitants. Nanortalik has about 1,100 people making it the eleventh largest town on the island. So I was wondering what is the eleventh largest city in the US? If you go strictly by incorporated city limits, it is Austin, Texas. If you include the primary statistical area it is the Miami, Fort Lauderdale area with over six million residents.
Cruising a Greenland Fjord
Cruising a Greenland fjord
An advantage to a small cruise ship is we could squeeze into smaller ports and fjords where larger ships dare not go. We had a leisurely day cruising up and down this Greenland fjord, launching Zodiac boats for a closer look.
Cruising Iceland
Puffin swimming, presumably looking for fish.
I was excited to see my first ever puffins and photograph them while cruising the islands off the coast of Iceland. I knew my resultant travel photographs would never compete with professional nature photographers who sit on a hillside and wait for the perfect moment to capture a puffin. However, out of the many hundreds of photos taken from the moving, bouncing Zodiac boat, two photos were acceptable to show here.
Cruise Port Excursions
Colorful Tobermory, Scotland
Colorful Tobermory, Scotland was a fun spot to explore after our failed bird watching expedition to the countryside. The photo above captures about one-third of the town. The arrival of our ship doubled the population of this quaint town for the day. We went into the Mishnish Hotel, the yellow building above, and had some local beverages and a half dozen oysters as part of our shore excursion. Then we ventured a few doors down for some Indian cuisine.
Our 32 Day Cruise, Lisbon to Montreal
Thirty-two days on the Seabourn Quest, our longest cruise yet.
Our 32 day cruise began in Lisbon, Portugal. The Portuguese say Lisboa. Our cruise itinerary seemed to include every place that ended in “…land.” That would include England, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, many islands and finally Newfoundland. We accomplished our main goal. Get out of the August heat of Idaho. Greenland may have been my favorite.
Back to the States
Leaning Tower of Pisa
After seven months of travel in Europe, we head back to the States the same way we came, a Trans-Atlantic cruise. This cruise departed from Civitavecchia, Italy and landed in Ft. Lauderdale. I very much enjoy the days at sea. We can be as busy as we wish or simply relax.
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