Montreal

I took a boring city tour (just riding around on the bus) and the most exciting thing that happened was that the guide killed a yellow jacket that stowed away on our bus. I don’t know what that bee was thinking, but its death was a mercy killing. Our guide spoke passable English and had a pretty strong French accent. The tour was about one hour too long and I think we passed by the same few buildings at least five or six times. I like hearing about the history and seeing the old buildings and sites, but please, don’t name every darn new skyscraper. At one point, I got to regale the passengers with my Pirate Story (see the post about cruising the Gulf of Aden). See Michael’s description below for what I saw.

Montreal is an old city, founded in 1642 although Indians and trappers were here long before that. The city is named for the “mountain” that is behind the city, thus Mount Royal became Montreal. The natives do not pronounce the “t.” Also, the mountain is nothing more than a large hill, standing 764 feet high (maybe that is the size of a molehill?). Anyway, they are proud of it. Montreal is located on an island and is Canada’s second largest city. It is the second largest French speaking city in the world and has been dubbed the “Paris of the North.”

Now, I could not get excited about the city from my very short and abbreviated visit. There was no charm or warmth to the city like there was in Quebec City. There are three parts to the city: the old, the new, and the underground. We saw the old and the new; we were not able to see the underground city which has 33 km of “streets.” This is important because the winters here are long and very harsh, with lots of snow and frosty cold weather.

Like Quebec City, there was a fortification wall built around the old city. Because so many wood homes caught fire, it was declared that all buildings within the wall had to be built of stone or brick. If you didn’t have the money to build one of these, you had to build your home outside the wall. The history goes like this: French came, British conquered, it became a part of Canada. Over 65% of the population here speaks French; there are a lot of immigrants from China, Greece and Portugal. Signs are in French; they manufacture Molson beer here (there is a huge brewery); and export lots of maple syrup to Japan (there are five types of maple trees, but only two give syrup).

Our guide did tell us one good story. Most early settlers were Catholic and they ate meat, especially in the winter. Since they were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays or during lent, it put a crimp in their meal planning. Someone approached the bishop and said there was a funny creature with a big flat tail that swims in the water. Could they eat this? Well, since it swims it must be OK, so they were able to eat beaver. What a stretch!

Michael:

I got to escort one last tour today through Montreal. It was called Montreal Old & New but we ran out of the time to see the new! We stopped first at the Place d’Armes to visit the majestic Notre-Dame Basilica, the second most beautiful church in North America. Let me tell you this is something to see. I saw a gorgeous basilica yesterday in Ste Anne de Beaupre, and this one made that one look like a country church! I won’t even try to describe it, other than to say I would hate to be the guy who has to dust it. By the way, this basilica is where Pavarotti recorded his famous Christmas concert.

We took about half an hour to walk through the downtown area so now I know there are plenty of McDonalds and Starbucks in Montreal; whew! We crossed the Concorde Bridge and our driver took a lap on the Montreal Grand Prix course, fortunately at a low rate of speed. We went next to Mt. Royal Park and Cemetery, where there are over one million stones, an amount equal to the current population of Montreal. The views from the summit were spectacular. We drove past St. Joseph’s Oratory where they hold mass for some 10,000 at a time. It is built high on a hill and church goers have the option of climbing the 256 or so steps either upright or on their knees.

I said we didn’t see anything new and that is because we ran out of time. Montreal is a big city but only half of it is visible. The other half is underground. They did this because the winters here are so severe (six to nine feet of snow each year), and the best way for people to get around is underground. Oh, one bit of trivia – by law, all signage in Montreal must be in French. A company can provide English on their sign as well, but the English letters must be no larger than 40% the size of the French letters. They have Language Police to control this!

This afternoon was spent packing. At least we don’t have a weight limit for each suitcase as we are flying United and Michael is a lifetime Executive Premiere member and we can just shove the stuff in anyway it fits. We hauled our big bulky winter coats for our one day visit in Nuuk, Greenland; I think we could have done without them. We smushed and smushed so they are packed. Tonight we will relax and try to get to bed early because we are off the ship at 8:30am to wing our way home.

I am so looking forward to seeing Deborah and Isabelle who are picking us up at the airport in Seattle.

Quebec City

We woke up this morning to dark skies, fog, and rain (ah ha, liquid sunshine). Had I been transported back to the Pacific Northwest? Was I on the Columbia River? It sure looked like it until I saw that all the signs were in French. Welcome to Quebec, the France of North America and a UNESCO world heritage site (Michael thinks it looks more French than France does).

The word Quebec comes from the Algonquin word kebec, which means “where the river narrows.” The St. Lawrence River is only one mile wide at the point where the city was first founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. It is one of the oldest cities in North America. Did you even wonder why Quebec is French while the rest of Canada is English speaking? France controlled the area for 150 years, and then the British defeated the French in the Seven Year War to win control. In 1874, the commonwealth of Canada was established. The city remained French in spite of British rule and today, 95% of the population speaks French as their native tongue (English is taught in first grade, so the population is bilingual).

Quebec City has no industry to speak of; it is the seat of government for the province of Quebec; unlike the rest of Canada, where all signage must be in English and French, here it is in French only; and it snows here – 11 to 13 feet is the average snowfall and last year they had 18 feet! Our guide said it is the snowiest city in North America. To keep the river open during the winter, they use an ice breaker starting in January. The St. Lawrence River is vital to the US economy as 10% of all US shipping goes from the Atlantic Ocean through the seaway to the Great Lakes.

The city is built on two hills – Lower and Upper. The city started in Basse-Ville (Lower Town). It is a jumble of narrow, rambling, and cobblestone roads and alleyways; stone and brick houses and plazas, many dating from the early 17th century. In 1682, a fire ravaged the town; as a result, it was mandated that all buildings be built of stone. Most of these are still standing today. Like I explained in the New York post, dirt from excavations was used as fill to increase the size of the waterfront and the bricks (used as ballast in ships coming from Scotland and England) were recycled for building houses. Nothing was ever wasted. They have a tradition of using copper for the roof: it is abundant here and it heats up in the sun so it helps melt the snow. The rooftops (many are red) are extremely steep and you will see ladders on top of them. They are there in case of a fire so firefighters can get up on the roof to pour water down the chimney to put out a fire (usually starts in the fireplace) and keep it from spreading to other buildings. Today there are many unique boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and tourist shops located here. It was just a short walk from the pier to town.

It was pouring rain this morning and I was hurting pretty bad today. Since my excursion was scheduled for after lunch, I just took my time getting ready for the day and reading a book. Michael decided to go out to see the city in the morning as his excursion was to visit a basilica and a waterfall located out of town in the afternoon and he wouldn’t have an opportunity to see the city. Michael’s impression of Quebec was -- in a word -- spectacular. It is indeed a gorgeous city!

I found Quebec City to be very charming, clean, and nicely kept up. They are very much into their heritage and it shows, especially with the city mural depicting its history. This mural is on the side of a brick building, 5 stories tall and was painted by 19 artists. It is quite a work of art and the attention to detail is impeccable. There were flower baskets and window boxes hanging from every street light and balcony. Even though the skies were gloomy, I did not get a depressed feeling as there was so much color. The Battlefield Park (also known as the Plains of Abraham) was where the French and British came to blows in 1759. And, we know who won that fight. Yeah, the French lost, but they managed to keep the culture. This is the “Central Park” of Quebec City and the grounds are magnificently manicured.

I started with 35 people on the bus and came back to the ship with 10. As the afternoon progressed, the rain stopped and people wanted to shop! I don’t get it. There is so much history and beauty and people were crazed to buy postcards and buy junk that they could get a home a whole lot cheaper (the tax rate is atrocious here). How about imprinting the sights and vistas into your mind? We had a walking tour of the Plaza Royale, the cradle of French civilization in North America and Notre-Dame des Victoires, one of the oldest churches still standing in Canada. All in all, it was an outstanding day.

Michael:

I spent a very pleasant afternoon in Quebec City. My tour began with a drive around the beautiful and pastoral island of Orleans. And guess what we finally saw --- COLORS!! Yes, we have been anticipating fall colors every since we hit New England and here they were at last, and beautiful. We continued on to the city of Ste Anne de Beaupre for a tour of the basilica, which was spectacular. Here’s some trivia (and yes, I thought of this myself) -- what is the difference between a basilica and a cathedral? A basilica is “a place of pilgrimage” while a cathedral is “the seat where the Bishop teaches from.” The basilica at Ste Anne de Beaupre, completed in 1928, was built on the site where colonial sailors caught in a devastating storms, prayed for deliverance and were spared. Aptly enough, the basilica prominently features a number of crutches, wheelchairs, walkers etc. that were discarded after people were healed.

Today, some one million people travel to this site each year. While the basilica, named after St. Anne, Jesus’ grandmother, is spectacular, the surrounding area is just tacky. It is chock a block with little museums, a “Cyclorama” containing the “World’s largest picture of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus,” and so forth. Perhaps the most outstanding features of the basilica were the copper doors. I have never seen anything like them.

We next traveled to the waterfalls at Montmorency. These where named for the Count of Montmorency, a good friend of Champlain. They were quite something, particularly since it had been raining so much they were running faster than usual. The falls are 272 feet high, approximately 90 feet higher than Niagara Falls, though nowhere near as wide. They recently open a bridge right over the falls and so you could walk out to some breathtaking vistas.

***

At dinner, a woman sitting at the next table thanked me (Beverly) for being such a good escort. She had been on many of my buses and she said she felt safe with me. She really appreciated that I looked out for my flock, especially the ones that couldn’t keep up. In fact, one escort today didn’t do that and two elderly ladies who couldn’t keep up took a taxi back to the ship when they couldn’t find their bus. They saw me walking back to the ship and then asked me to help them get the stuff that they left on the bus. It had a happy ending. I would never let that happen!

Halifax Redoux

Another early morning and today, my body said enough. I could not move to get out of bed. If I didn’t have a commitment, I would never have gotten up. As it was, Michael had to hold me up while I washed my face at the sink. Mornings are HARD and getting harder. I finally got the old body warmed up a bit and made it out the door.

I had the same tour that Michael took last time we were here so I am not going to repeat all the history and stops we made. Weather forecast called for 74* and some sun. Hahaha. They didn’t even come close. We left the ship, it was cloudy but not too cold; by the time we got back, it was getting colder and the fog was getting pretty thick. Gray skies, but no rain. The light was “flat” so the pictures are all washed out looking. It is a shame because the Public Gardens were very beautiful, but I could not really capture the colors.

Here are just a few extra tidbits I picked up for the trivia minded. Cunard, the British sailing ship company name after Mr. Cunard, was really a Halifaxan (I hope that is right). When it snows here, our guide said they get six feet at a time! There are two synagogues. Each year, the city of Halifax sends a huge Christmas tree to Boston to commemorate and thank the people for helping with disaster assistance during the big 1917 explosion (which is detailed in the previous Halifax post). Also, I learned that some 188 American prisoners of war are buried here in Halifax. What, POW’s in Canada? But it’s true. These were American soldiers captured during the war of 1812, and died in Halifax prisons where they were kept in inhumane conditions.

I went to the Citadel where I witnessed the changing of the guard and firing of the cannon, which occurs daily at noon. There are 78 Highlanders, most are young college age men who do this for a summer job. After exploring and listening to the pipers, I wandered over to a cute young Highlander and asked a few questions. He told me that there is about 50 pounds of wool in the uniform and it gets awfully toasty during the hot and humid weather. People ask him what time the noon cannon goes off. But I really, really wanted to ask what he wore under his kilts, but I didn’t want to appear too gauche, so I asked him some round about questions like WHO asked that question the most, and his reply was, “about 85% who ask that question were men. I tell them it’s the same thing that they have.” He then went on to say that elderly ladies had no compunction about reaching under and trying to cop a feel. When I returned to the bus, I asked the folks if anyone of them asked the question – and of course, they all said no; the men just scoffed and said they knew what was underneath. So there is your answer.

***

Michael:

A very different experience for me today. I escorted a tour to Lunenburg and Mahone Bay. Lunenburg, about an hour’s drive southwest on the Trans Canada Highway, is 257 years old and was originally a shipbuilding and fishing community. It has recently been named a Unesco World Heritage site so as to preserve its uniqueness. And unique it is – the buildings are painted some really garish colors and many have a unique architectural feature called Lunenburg Bumps. What they did was extend the very common dormers so that they extended over the front door and sometimes even over the sidewalk. This was an early form of “neighborhood watch” since you could see everything happening in the street from all directions.

Lunenburg was where the “Blue Nose” schooner was built and sailed out of. Canadians are all familiar with and very proud of this schooner which was the fastest in the world until it sunk in 1946. It is so famous that it appears on the Canadian dime. In fact, it is said that while it was the fastest schooner, it could still stop on a dime [oh, a real groaner – chuckle chuckle]. We next traveled to Mahone Bay where an incredible thing happened -- the sun came out and the temperature went from the low sixties to almost eighty instantly. It didn’t last long but it was nice. Mahone Bay is a resort seaside community with lots of interesting shops including a yarn shop, which I probably should not have told Beverly about.

P.S. He didn’t even take pictures or get me some samples [rats, darn, fooey]

Saint John, New Brunswick

See Bar Harbor for the history of Saint John. French, British, fighting, Revolutionary War, Canadian city.

Michael:

Well, we are back in Canada and that means it’s raining! I escorted a trolley (that’s Canadian for uncomfortable bus) tour of the city, and guess what – it isn’t much. However, Saint John does have some bragging rights. It is about to celebrate its 225th birthday, making it the oldest incorporated city in all of Canada. It is also the largest (in area) city in Canada. It is located on the Bay of Fundy, home to the biggest tides in the world – up to 54 feet. The change was 28 feet today. The tide moves at about five feet per hour so it is very easy to actually see the rise/fall. In fact, more water pours through the Bay of Fundy at tidal change that through all other rivers in the world that empty into oceans – COMBINED!!!

St. John was birthplace of some well know people – Louis B. Mayer, Donald Sutherland and Walter Pigeon (from Forbidden Planet – the best movie ever made!). We stopped at the local farmer’s market and discovered a local treat called Dulse, which is actually seaweed that is harvested at low tide. It dries to the consistency of potato chips but gets moist and chewy as you consume it. And guess what it tastes like – SEAWEED!!


We have had such marvelous weather on most of our stops, except for the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Does the sun ever shine here? Oh, yeah, it’s called liquid sunshine! It feels just like home.

What is special about St. John? It has Canada’s oldest continuous farmers market, oldest continuous museum, and the city itself is Canada’s oldest incorporated city. But the really special thing about St. John is the Bay of Fundy. Michael briefly described it, but here is a little more information. The tide is the largest in the whole world, it’s faster than a speeding bullet, higher than a 4-story building, and able to squeeze 100 billion tons of seawater in and out of the bay two times a day every day. This event causes the “Reversing Falls Rapids,” whereby the river actually flows back upstream. Slack water only lasts for approximately 20 minutes. The Saint John River is 450 miles long and starts in Maine.

I also took the same trolley tour as Michael. Mostly, we wove our way through many residential streets and saw many grand parks and Victorian homes. The farmers market was small, but very charming. The smells were delicious and you could buy fresh meats and vegetables to take home for dinner, and yet enjoy a scrumptious lunch from one of the many food vendors and stands.

The city is hilly and the streets are named for loyalists: Queen, King, Duke, Princess, etc. There was a big fire in 1876 so much of the central business district has been rebuilt. Irish immigrants played a major role in rebuilding the city and shipbuilding brought prosperity to the city during this time. Douglas Avenue had lovely restored Victorian homes – on the side of the street toward the bay were the riverboat captain’s houses; on the other side of the street toward the sea were the sea captain’s houses, which had cupolas or widows walks. Nothing like being politically correct and class distinction, eh? Thirty three percent of the inhabitants are of French descent making New Brunswick is the only province that is bilingual, speaking both English and French.

Bar Harbor, Maine

What is in Bah Hah-bah? Nothing much. It is a seaside resort located on Mt. Desert Island, one of the 3,000 islands off the Maine coast. It boasts a winter population of 4,000 and in summer swells to 13,000. This was the summer retreat of the rich and famous who built summer “cottages” here along the rugged and craggy shoreline or in the forest (in our lexicon, magnificent estate homes and mansions). Some famous residents included John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Hugh Hefner, Martha Stewart, and Henry Pulitzer. It is a small American town, where on the 4th of July, there is a parade consisting mostly of children riding bikes or trikes, or pulling decorated wagons, and of course, lobster races.

This history of the area goes like this: the British and French fought. The British won. The Revolutionary War happened. Maine becomes the 23rd state. The end.

There were three ships in port today (actually, all three were at anchor so you can image the scene as every ship had multiple tenders running back and forth) and the downtown area was wall-to-wall white haired people with walkers. We skipped the shopping in town part; prices were outrageous and the crowds were impossible. Tourism is the number one industry in Maine and I think all the tourists were here today.

Fortunately, both Michael and I had escort duty. Our ship itinerary is called “The Colors of Fall.” Unfortunately, due to a very dry summer, there was very little color. It was very disappointing as our excursions took us up and into the heavily forested and mountain areas. Michael had a walking tour through Acadia National Park and I also had a tour of the park and town.

Michael’s Narrative: Today I got to take a walk in the park – Acadia National Park that is. I escorted a walk along a trail that skirts the Atlantic Ocean, and had some beautiful photo opportunities. The Gulf of Maine geology is very different from what we are used to on the West Coast, the most striking difference being the prevalent pink granite. Of the 10 guests on the walk, four of them complained that it was not a vigorous enough hike, while one other complained that it was too vigorous. Apparently you can only please 60% of the people.

Back to me. My first stop was a demonstration of how lobsters are caught. This is a very important industry here in Maine as it supplies 80% of all lobster consumed in the US. The city that eats more lobster than any other US city is… drum roll… Las Vegas. Modern traps are almost foolproof; if a lobster enters the trap, chances are you are eating a very dumb lobster (smart ones can figure out to escape). They like smelly dead stuff like herring. Lobsters are cannibals and that is why you see the claws banded – not to protect you, but to keep them from fighting and eating each other. They shed their shells every year, and while waiting for the new shell to grow and harden, they hide for 3 to 6 weeks. Have you ever noticed that one claw is larger than the other one? That is because lobsters are either right clawed or left clawed. The larger claw is the crusher (to open clams and oysters) and the smaller one is the pincher (to withdraw the meat from the crushed clam). It takes seven years for a lobster to mature to one pound. Lobsters are ugly and have those funny skinny little legs, but they can really move along the bottom at a pretty rapid pace.

Lobsterman is a generational occupation, handed down from parent to child. Doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, you are a lobsterman (10% of the skippers are female). There are all kinds of laws and regulations over the lobster industry, but the one that counts is the law of the “lobster gangs.” The fishing is very territorial, including violence to keep ones territory. You are legally allowed to fish anywhere you want to (assuming you have all the right paperwork and training); however, if you put your pots in someone’s “territory,” they will cut the float and you will lose your pots. The lobster here in Maine is abundant and consequently, the price has really dropped. One to two pounders go for around $6 to $8 at the grocery store.

Enough about lobsters; how about beavers? We saw several nice beaver lodges in the lakes in Acadia National Park. These industrious rodents (the largest ones on earth) build their lodges out of branches and mud in the middle of ponds and can only be reached by underwater entrances. Some can be as deep as 50 feet. Beavers nurture their young for one year, and then kick them out for good. Their fur is naturally oily and waterproof, and beaver pelts were the item of choice for trading by the Indians in colonial times. The number one enemy of beavers is falling trees; they get crushed when a tree falls on them because they never know which direction it is going to fall.

We rode a 27 mile loop in the dense forest and wound our way up to the top of Cadillac Mountain where we were treated to a view of many, many islands and the great valleys below. The landscape up here was a mixture of forest poking out of red granite rock. It was quite stunning. As we readied for our return down the mountain, I did my usual head count. We had one extra person. When I questioned her, I found out she was from the Norwegian ship that was in port and got on the wrong bus. Since her bus was long gone, we took her with us and eventually caught up to her bus. Again, I have a perfect record of never LOSING anyone; I just pick up extras and strays.

We finished the tour with a stop at an old Victorian house that has been turned into a B&B and an Episcopal church with beautiful stained glass windows. We finished the day with a birthday celebration in honor of Michael’s 65th! OMG, I am sleeping with a senior citizen. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL.

Boston

Bean Town, Tea Party, Red Sox, Harvard, and history and more history. I was back in school today relearning about the American Revolution and early colonial times. I am late in posting this because I was on an all day tour and I came back exhausted. I was ready for bed by 7:30 pm. Port intensive cruises are very tiring, especially when you go on excursions every day.


So, here is your history lesson. The Pilgrims and Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Within a few years, 50% of the native people had died because the white man’s diseases spread across the region and they had no natural immunity. In 1629, the British came to Salem but didn’t stay very long (it was icky); then they went to Charleston but left there because of bad water. They moved to the Boston area and were happy (although I can’t figure out why they liked it here as the winters are HORRIBLE). Boston means the Patriot Saint of Fishermen. See, history isn’t that bad!

We toured Cambridge and Hah-vid (Harvard), located across the Charles River. The weather was just perfect. How lucky again we have been. Driving down Brattle Street, we were treated to see beautifully restored Georgian style “cottages” (really mansions) that were built before the revolution. Then our journey took us to the countryside of suburban Lexington and then onto Concord. At Lexington, we stood on the greens where 77 minutemen faced 700 British troops. On the way to Concord, we passed by the homes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa May Alcott. At Concord, we continued on to the historic North Bridge where “embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard around the world,” signaling the start of the American Revolution. After a lunch stop, we visited the “Constitution,” (old iron sides – she got the name because the British shells couldn’t penetrate the side of the hull because of the iron sides) and the Old North Church (built in 1723) where Paul Revere hung lanterns to signal the countryside that the British were coming – “listen and you will hear about the midnight ride of Paul Revere: one if by land, two if by sea.” This church is still in use today. The pews were quite unique in that they were partitioned into private family boxes and decorated according to the owners particular tastes. The more money you donated, the closer you got to the pulpit.

Half the people on this tour were not Americans and it was interesting to get their viewpoint about what they learned about the Revolution. One British lady told me that they learned about the Revolutionary War in school and our guide had it pretty close! One of the excursion staff from the ship is from South Africa and this was her first time in a real American city. She was so excited to eat New England clam chowder and asked questions about our history that actually made me think before answering because it had been so long since I learned all this stuff.

There were so many sights we did not get to see on this trip. I remember our last trip to Boston – it was minus 18* and freezing. We walked around Harvard Square and walked the Freedom Trail until we could no longer stand the cold. We ducked into Faneuil Hall for hot cocoa. With 400 years of history, there is so much to see and do that another trip back to visit is in order.

Again, here is some trivia. You will thank me if you ever go on Jeopardy (the quiz show for you youngsters). There are many, many brick buildings in Boston. Brick is not native to the city. Bricks were used as ballast in ships coming from England; the ship returned filled with lumber. They had to do something with all the bricks, so they used them for building. By law, the old homes, factories, and Victorian mansions have to keep their facades, so the insides are gutted and remodeled and are now very expensive condos and lofts. Dunkin’ Donuts has their world headquarters here; there is $1 million worth of gold leaf on the state house dome; there is a nuclear reactor right in the heart of Cambridge at MIT; and Boston boasts having the oldest restaurant in the country (the Union Oyster House).

***

Michael’s Turn:

Today, I got to go to where it all began – Plymouth Rock! I escorted a particularly memorable tour through America’s colonial past. We began with a visit to the Forefather’s Monument, an 80 foot high granite tribute to the original 103 pilgrims who arrived in America in 1620 aboard the Mayflower, a voyage of 66 days. We next visited Plymouth Rock itself, the actual landing point of the Mayflower. I have to say it was much smaller than I had imagined, about 7 feet long by 4 feet wide, but it was thrilling to see nonetheless. Next, we boarded the Mayflower II, a faithful reproduction of the original. It too was built in England and sailed to Plymouth in 1957. It was a present to America for its help during WWII. How 103 people could have lived in those conditions is truly amazing.

We next traveled a short distance to the “Village at Plimoth Plantation,” a living museum that truly brought colonial times to life. This is an authentic reproduction of circa 1627 homes complete with furniture and kitchen appliances. Costumed actors role-played the colonial settlers, with both depth and humor. A third of a mile away was an authentic Indian village. It too was peopled with Indians portraying their ancestors. Their costumes were original too, and some of the women on our tour were rather startled to see the men nearly naked.

Newport, Rhode Island

Michael is really on this cruise. He has not reported on anything yet, but is finally here:

I guess what I will remember most about Newport is BIG, BIG, BIG homes, up to seventy rooms (The Astor home), which they like to call summer cottages, and OLD, OLD, OLD everything. I had a very fun day. I went ashore briefly this morning just to look around the historic village, which is mostly shops, restaurants and marinas. There were hundreds of sailboats tied up to mooring buoys.

In the afternoon I escorted a tour to the Vanderbilt’s Marble House, envisioned by Alva Vanderbilt as her “temple to the arts” in America. Alva, it turns out, is much better known for her work on behalf of woman’s suffrage then she is for the arts. We started with a tour along Ten Mile Drive, past carefully restored historic buildings and palatial “cottages,” ending up at the Marble House build by William K. and Alva Vanderbilt, and featuring more than 500,000 square feet of white marble. It was considered one of the most palatial estates in Newport, and is decorated with Louis XIV and XV furnishings which were original to the house.

After touring the home, we crossed the lawn to Alva’s Tea House. This was built in 1913 and is the country’s only example of a classic 12th century Southern Sung Chinese Temple. The tea, the scones, the crumpets and the sandwiches were yummy. The only trivia I picked up today was that while most of the Vanderbilt’s are dead and buried, one still exists, in the form of CNN’s Anderson Cooper, son of Gloria Vanderbilt.

***

I’m back with the history lesson. Rhode Island was founded in 1639 by religious dissenters from Massachusetts. Newport has a natural harbor so it became busy with shipping, fishing, and famous for making rum, which was traded in Africa for slaves. The slaves were then transported to the West Indies and swapped for molasses, which was used to make the rum. This was known as the “Triangular Trade.”

In the late 1800s, Newport became a playground for the rich and famous. Opulent mansions were built on huge estates, one more grand than the next. This one upmanship produced some incredible “summer cottages” such as Michael described above. The height of “high society” and the idle rich lasted until the great depression. With the natural harbor, yachting became a big pastime and became home to the America’s Cup Race.

My tour was a brief drive along Ten Mile Drive, which is famous for its rugged coast and craggy bays. We saw the McMansions, gated estates hidden behind tall hedges and trees. All of these estates are named: Rose Cliff, The Breakers, and Marble House just to name a few. We drove around the old town where we drove us by the oldest tavern in the country (The White Horse Tavern, 1673), the oldest library in the country, the second oldest golf course and the oldest Synagogue in the country.

The weather was glorious – how did we get so lucky? After a little shopping and walking around the village, I was starting to hurt and was dragging fanny; I was carrying the ship’s backpack (with emergency supplies), my polar fleece jacket, the camera, and my purchases (Coldwater Creek, oh yeah!) – all on cobblestone streets. This was probably not the best or smartest thing to do (carry all this weight) at this particular time in my life. So I headed back to the tender to take a short cruise back to the anchored Symphony.

Back on board ship the only interesting thing that happened was when I was gently shoved out of the way of a moaning and screaming woman that was being carried off the ship on a stretcher. They had to load her on the tender for transport to shore. I’ll bet whatever she had (I never did find out what happened to her) was going to be aggravated by the bumpy ride to the pier. Someone was following her with a suitcase, so whatever it was, it must have been serious. Looks like her cruise is over.

New York City -- Day 2

First of all, nothing untold happened unless you count watching an episode of CSI-NY being shot on the pier where I picked up my sea tour. They were “fishing” a dead female out of the river. Otherwise, there were no catastrophes, no accidents, no funny stuff. Another glorious day in the Big Apple. We have been soooo lucky to have such good weather. Today was escort duty for both of us, hitting all the famous landmarks and neighborhoods with drive-bys from both land and sea.

New York City is one crowded place, with people rushing here and there. Traffic is congested but not noisy anymore. Used to be you could hear a symphony of car horns constantly blaring, but today there is a $350 fine for blowing your horn in anger! I have been to NYC several times and cannot remember the streets being so quiet. There are so many skyscrapers that the sun does not penetrate to the ground. The city is cleaner than I remember. Many abandoned piers, wharves, and elevated train tracks have been turned into lush green parks with lots of blooming flowers. Apparently, Mayor Bloomberg is a green nut and anything that can be turned green (and flowery) is.

I have spent two days here and I am now ready to leave. The big city is not for this Port Ludlow girl. I would miss driving my car. Parking is dear and very costly: $8.49 per ½ hour in a parking garage! I feel sorry for the poor doggies as they don’t have any place to freely roam. They are walked on a leash to play and do their business. People live in dense apartment buildings and highrises; I like to walk out my front door and be outside. Lower and mid- Manhattan is nothing but a concrete jungle with a few parks interspersed here and there. For me, it’s too much of everything, like orchestrated chaos. Michael could live here again, although it’s been 50 years since he left.

Henry Hudson was the first person to explore Manhattan in 1609. It is said that Peter Minuit bought the entire island from Native Americans for $24 worth of beads and trinkets in 1629. The tiny Dutch settlement was named New Amsterdam, which was located on the lower tip of the island in the area now known as Battery Park and Wall Street. Since it was strategically located and had a protected harbor and was surrounded by rivers, the British in 1664 took control of the village and renamed it New York, in honor of the Duke of York.

The island was a lot smaller in those days. Today, 1/3 of the island is landfill, made from the dirt and sand that was excavated for the foundations of the skyscrapers. The reason why so many skyscrapers can be built in Manhattan is because the island is made of granite. Builders dig down until they hit solid bedrock. The new World Trade Center foundation goes down 71 feet, and all that dirt has to go somewhere, so it is used as landfill.

I seem to collect miscellaneous data that is good for nothing but trivia. Over 200 languages are spoken in NYC; each former WTC tower – called a vertical city – had its own zip code; there is a specialized high school for just about any job you can think of; Wall Street got its name because that is where the Dutch built a wall to keep the animals from roaming into the forest. If you get your car towed, you can expect to pay $400 in cash + ticket + interest + storage fees. You will have to deal with a human who sits behind a 4” bullet proof glass window. You do not want to get your car towed! Cities make up counties, but in this case, the five boroughs (each of which is a separate county) make up one city.

***

I have been asked how it feels to live on the Crystal Symphony. We have spent almost 1/3 of 2010 in Room 8108, a mere 135 square feet. We have a whole ship to roam in, but our little room is our sanctuary. I miss comfortable furniture and a decent view. I don’t like having to shower and dress before I go for breakfast. I sometimes miss my TV shows. This is not like living in the real world. I love my house in Port Ludlow, I like living in the desert in the winter yet, somehow, this is home. Home is where we are at the moment.

New York City

We took a large bite out of the Big Apple today.

We arrived at the cruise ship terminal in Brooklyn at 6 am, after squeezing under the Veranzo Narrows Bridge and passing by the Statue of Liberty at approximately 5:15 am. Many passengers set their alarm clocks so they could get up to photograph and see this magnificent sight that was still aglow in the dark. Michael was one of those people; I was not. I am mindful of the thousands of immigrants who first gazed upon that beacon of hope and landed at Ellis Island in preparation to enter America and become an American.

The day was warm, humid, and sunny, and I did not dress properly for the weather. It was shorts weather and I wore jeans. We spent the day exploring on our own. Our first stop was to Ground Zero. It is hard to believe it has been nine years since the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed. There was a tremendous amount of construction going on, with huge excavations, cranes, and steel framework for new buildings rising out of the hallowed ground. It was a somber time to reflect and say a prayer for those that lost their lives. We walked over to the proposed site for a Muslim mosque (it is very, very close to Ground Zero); the street is barricaded from car traffic and there are police and barriers posted around the building. There were police also posted all around the Ground Zero site and the nearby train station.

We then walked a few blocks to the subway. Going down the steps into the subway, it was very hot. We purchased our tickets from an automated machine (what would we do without machines that take your credit card – no human needed), scanned the ticket and walked through the revolving gate and got on the E train. I was surprised at how clean the car was, and thankfully, it was air conditioned. It was quite crowded with locals and tourists. I can only imagine what it is like during rush hour. We got off at 42nd Street, the heart of Times Square and all the theaters.

After a lunch of traditional New York style pizza, we walked down 8th Avenue, an extremely busy thoroughfare, that had been closed off to car traffic and found ourselves in the middle of a huge street fair. Prices for scarves, cell phone accessories, jewelry, hats, etc. were CHEAP. I bought a couple of Pashmina shawls for use on the ship. It’s not a Greenland sweatshirt …. (Sigh).

We finally made our way to the theater and enjoyed “Jersey Boys.” This is the music and story of Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons. Excellent show. We have been so lucky this trip to actually see two wonderful Broadway shows.

We then strolled up to Central Park and wandered around to kill some time as our ship was moving from the Brooklyn pier to Manhattan and was not due to arrive until 8 pm.
By then, we were pretty much done for the day. Michael consulted the map and said it wasn’t a very far walk to the ship terminal. By this time, I am wearing out and I am hot and sweaty. Against my better instincts, I agreed to walk the “four” blocks to the ship. Hah, these were mega blocks. I do admit that most of the walk was down hill and I am proud of the fact I only groused about it once.

Our friends, Sam and Beverly, have joined us on this segment and we look forward to some fun times with them.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

I woke up this morning and I could have been home in Port Ludlow. It was dark and rainy, and my body ached so badly that I needed a hot shower before I could function. Welcome to Halifax, the capitol of Nova Scotia and the most Scottish of all Canada’s major cities (Nova Scotia means New Scotland in Latin).

Our day started at a civilized 8:30 am when Michael took off on a 3-hour introductory drive. I followed up at 9:30 am with a “duck” (amphibious vehicle) tour. And the weather was perfect for ducks. I am not complaining mind you about the weather, just remarking that it rained buckets all day long. Our ability to take pictures was dampened (pun intended) by the use of umbrellas and wind and rain, and in Michael’s case, fogged up bus windows. We were told that yesterday was a glorious day. They only have two seasons here: winter and road repair. Well, can’t complain about the weather as we have really been lucky in our previous stops (Nuuk was superb – for Nuuk) and the seas have been wonderful.

I thought Halifax would be a sleepy fishing village, but boy was I wrong. It is the largest city in Nova Scotia (which happens to be the second smallest province in Canada) with about 250,000 people in Halifax/Dartmouth and 750,000 in the entire province. The city is clean and modern office buildings and hotels coexist with restored historic buildings and wharves along the waterfront. Halifax is the second largest natural harbor in the world after Sydney, Australia. Nova Scotia has a coastline made up of fjords, coves, bays, and inlets; beyond that, inland are farms and highlands, reminiscent of Scotland. We didn’t see any wildlife, but many of the souvenir shirts had something to do with moose, so I am assuming they have a few here. In addition to souvenir stuff, there were a lot of Scottish tartans and handknits to buy. There was plenty of shopping right in the ship terminal so that was handy because there was no way I was going back out in the rain (more on that later). Guess who bought a souvenir and guess what it was!? Another coffee cup!

Halifax was founded in 1749 as a military base and today has the largest naval base in Canada. It was once the receiving center for immigrants and refugees from all over the world, and the culture of all these different groups is a unique feature of life today in Nova Scotia. The “Historic Properties,” or the waterfront, is where it’s happening – shopping, restaurants, and entertainment abound. Original stone and wood warehouses have been refurbished into trendy lofts and apartments.

On a hill in central Halifax stands the Citadel Fortress, built in 1749 as a bastion of British control over North America. Breathtaking views are offered from this vantage point, however, it was too foggy and rainy to see very far (they get over 150 heavy fog days per year). Michael’s tour went inside the fortress while mine just drove around. Michael also toured the Pubic Victorian Gardens that were established in 1867, in the pouring down rain. He managed to get a few pictures, but said it was hard to juggle an umbrella and camera at the same time. My tour just drove around the gardens, which was OK with me.

Halifax has a curious naval history. In 1912, three naval ships were sent to recover victims of the Titanic (many of them are buried here). In 1917, one of the most tragic events in Halifax history occurred when there was an explosion when a French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc, and a Belgian relief ship collided and 2,500 tons of explosives caught fire and BOOM. Over 2,000 on the waterfront were killed and more than 8,000 were injured. The blast was felt as far at 50 miles away. This was the world’s single largest man-made explosion in history (outside of the atom bomb).

Now my tour: I rode on a Larc V amphibious vehicle which was designed to be primarily a boat, but has been altered to ride on land – and it doesn’t do either very gracefully. The “duck” has a canvas “roof” and is SUPPOSED to have side panels for inclement weather. Our duck arrived with NO side panels! It is pouring cats and dogs, raining sideways and the driver said, “we couldn’t find the side panels.” The tour guide offered us el cheapo plastic ponchos which did nothing to keep my keester dry. Forgetabout using the camera with the wind and rain. My hair was plastered down and my pants and shoes were soaked. I could not keep notes nor write on my report form because everything kept blowing away and getting wet. I cannot believe in this part of the world where is rains so frequently that they “couldn’t find the side panels.” It made for a long, cold and slightly miserable experience. I came back to the room to dry off and then wrote my report – not a very happy one. We are coming back here on our way to Montreal so hopefully the weather will cooperate. It did look like a very pleasant town to explore, especially down by the “Historic Properties” area. There are other sights to see such as Peggy’s Cove, the Maritime Museum, and the government houses.

Our afternoon agenda has changed from touring on foot to hanging around on the ship. Michael has disappeared for the afternoon to play bridge. I am writing the blog. I told him not to call me to play unless he was desperate. One couple pleaded with me to play, but I now know how to gracefully say, “No bleeping way!” 

Another Day at Sea

[singing]: Sailing sailing over the ocean blue la de da da the seas have been really good.

We have been so fortunate that the sea gods have blessed us with a smooth crossing. I heard stories from other passengers about the crossing last year, about how bad it was. We must be doing something right! We had a little rolly polly for a couple of hours early this morning. Most of the time, you can’t even tell that the ship is moving through the seas at 15-20 knots. I got to thinking about what it is like when the ship is heaving to and fro, especially when you are trying to look graceful while walking down the halls doing the “staggering or inebriated walk,” or how to shower without falling over while holding on to the grab rail with one hand and washing your foot with the other while standing on one foot. If you are on a ship long enough you will experience this fun challenge.

I have spent the past two days playing bridge – lots of bridge. Morning, noon and night. Today I actually came in third place (out of nine) and even earned master points. Woo whoo – I would have rather won another tote bag! The bridge players on this trip have been a very dedicated lot and have, for the most part, behaved themselves. They love Michael. We received an email asking if we were available to stay on for another segment, but alas, we have major commitments to keep.

We had a lovely dinner at Silk Road, the Japanese restaurant, with Dr. John and Jan. And yes, Marilyn, the dead body in the toilet was real. Also, Suzanne, the food in Iceland was awful. We had a buffet lunch and all Michael ate was the herring. The rest of the stuff was gross or just tasteless. If you have any questions you want answered, just email me or write in the comment section and I will do my best to either get you a truthful answer or I will just make something up that sounds pretty good and convincing.

My knitting is going nowhere, I have only completed one book, and the laundry is piling up. I don’t know where the time goes. My body is pretty much cooperating, the pain isn’t bad, but the tingling is so annoying and sometimes my left foot hurts. I had the room stewardess put some extra eggcrate foam on the bed. It is getting harder to sleep because every time I turn over the pain wakes me up, so I am tired. I have been pretty good about not complaining, so this is my shot to do it since nothing much else is going on. I miss talking to my family and especially miss seeing Isabelle. I am done whining. One more sea day before we land in Halifax.

Nuuk, Greenland

Greenland is COOL! That may be so according to the native population, but to us wimps from temperate climates, it was COLD. We were very lucky weather wise; the skies were blue and clear, there was very little wind, the seas were calm, and the temperature was around 37*. We were bundled up in winter coats, hats, and gloves.

Greenland is a fascinating country. Why is it called Greenland and why does Iceland have its name? It should be reversed: Iceland is green and Greenland is one big ice sheet. The story goes that in 982 A.D., Erik the Red of Iceland (he was on the lam for killing a man) wanted to attract colonists, so as a marketing ploy, he said come to Greenland – it is green. From the little we saw, it is one big rock pile. Eighty percent of the country is covered in ice, up to two miles thick in the middle. People live on the rocky fringes between the sea and ice, mostly on the west coast. Glaciers and fjords make it nearly impossible for ground transportation between towns so they use planes, boats, or dogsleds (in the winter) to get around. Greenland has been discovered more than any other place on earth. Early settlers found the life too hard and moved on, and then another group would rediscover it. The first people to stay were the Inuit, relatives of the natives in Alaska.

The capital and largest city is Nuuk, founded in 1728, with a population of 15,000 out of the total population of 56,000 in Greenland. It is located on the western coast, 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The country is self ruled, but is under Danish administration. Here is a quote from National Geographic: “take one part quaint Greenlandic town, complete with fjord and exhilarating mountainous backdrop, mix with maybe four parts grim Soviet-bloc style apartments, add two traffic lights, daily traffic jams, and a nine-hole golf course and you’ve got Nuuk.” Michael thought Nuuk looked like a cross between a rural Danish village and the Bronx projects. There was a certain charm – if you looked in one direction – and the Bronx projects is pretty much descriptive when you looked in the other direction. The shabby buildings definitely needed a coat of paint and laundry was hung on the balconies. Colorful buildings were built on rocky hills and there were staircases that go from one street to the next. We toured the entire town by foot in two hours.

The people are mostly of either Danish heritage or are Inuit Indian. We saw babies and toddlers everywhere, so cute waddling in their snowsuits, boots and mittens. It must have been a warm day for the locals as most of them wore sweaters or light jackets while we were bundled in bulky coats. As the sun got higher (and we were walking up hill), it started to warm up and I removed my gloves and coat.

There was shopping for basic needs and we only came across one real native craft shop. All the signage was in Danish or Inuit (couldn’t tell), so we had to look in the windows to see what was in the stores. The major attractions were the sea statue, the museum, and the cultural center (which was closed; they opened as we headed back to the ship).

I was determined to buy a souvenir sweatshirt that said “Greenland,” but believe it or not, I could NOT find one! Nuuk is definitely not geared up for tourism although they have a tourism office. While I was waiting for the shuttle back to the ship, I tried to buy the tourist center rep’s uniform jacket, but they wouldn’t sell one to me. I think I will have one made up when I get home that says, “Greenland is COOL!” How many people do you know that have been here?

Upon our return to the ship, we decided to have lunch by the Grill on the Lido deck (on the sunny side). Looking out over the harbor, we were bounded on the portside by rocky moss covered islands, islets, and snow dusted mountains. There were icebergs floating in the bays. We saw lots of fishing vessels plying the waters (fishing is the number one industry). It was very serene and calm. Last year, the Crystal made this same trip and could not dock due to bad weather and sea conditions. Today a lamb, yesterday a lion.

The rest of the day is a normal sea type of day. Michael is PLAYING bridge this afternoon while I am faithfully writing this blog. It was a short day ashore, but a good one. Our shuttle driver was a young Inuit (whose jacket I tried to buy). I asked him where I could get a sweatshirt and he called his mother to ask her where he should take me. He stopped at a gift shop (not on the bus route) and waited while I went in and looked (no joy there). You wouldn’t get that kind of service in a big city. I said he had a nice town and he said, “Yes, I like it very much.” In the background, he had the radio on and it was playing rap music. I said, “it doesn’t matter what country you are in, young people like rap and iphones”. He just smiled and nodded his head. It is, after all, a small world.

A Ripple in the Pond

Yea!!! The seas were tame, like a baby’s bathtub (a great hyperbole, if I do say so myself). Gentle rocking made for good sleep last night. However, after attending this evening’s show (located in the room at the bow of the ship), the sea conditions were a little choppier than we realized (there is less movement at the stern where our cabin and bridge lounge is located). The seas were 10 to 12 feet, but we were going into them. All in all, I am glad to say that the Captain has a 100% record for over estimating the sea conditions. I hope he keeps this record up for the rest of the trip.

They did board up the windows on the 5th floor guest rooms. We saw the window inserts as they were removing them from the rooms. These are huge metal covers that bolt over the windows. The crew also drained the swimming pool and tied the pool furniture down.

The big excitement for the day was the sighting of icebergs – big ones! They were all over the place. How cool is it to knit while viewing icebergs? If you are not a knitter, you can stop reading now.   Actually, I didn’t get much knitting done as I have spent the past week ripping and knitting the same two lines (about 450 stitches each line – ugh!). After much frustration with two or six stitches depending on how I counted, I ripped the lacework back about six rows and then picked the stitches back up. My lifeline was another few rows down and I didn’t want to rip back to it. What a colossal pain in the butt. You cannot fudge a lace pattern. I will probably finish this shawl in time for me to enter a retirement home and sit on the porch in the rocker.

On the Way to Greenland

Today is a normal sea day. Nothing much going on out of the ordinary. We are crossing the North Atlantic Ocean. The captain announced this morning that we are in for heavy seas tonight through tomorrow midday. The crew is putting up storm covers on floor 5 windows, which includes some common areas and some passenger rooms. I have stocked up on some munchies in case things turn bad and it would be too uncomfortable to go to breakfast. So far, we have had very pleasant seas, so let’s hope the captain screwed up again on the weather forecast (written at 2:30pm).

Again, I have escaped playing bridge. There were 10 tables for lessons and nine for the game. Everyone has complemented Michael on his teaching style. I am taking it easy this afternoon because I sorta overdid it yesterday. I was up and down the bus steps like a gazelle (picture it – graceful and light as a feather – NOT [snarky laugh]), but rather like a hippo, plodding up one step at a time. In all fairness, the bus steps were awfully steep, unlike any I have ever had to negotiate.

What else can I tell you about life on board ship? We get the news channels and at dinner we have discussed world events. However, it is nice to turn it all off and not have to have everyday reality stare you in the face; it is just too darn depressing. So at dinner, we tell stories about our adventures and tell jokes. Most of the people we have met are world travelers and cruisers so we have one upmanship when telling stories. So far, I think Dr. John wins with his story as an escort. He was missing one person on his bus. When he went looking for him, he found the missing passenger sitting on the toilet – dead!

You can’t tell where a person is from by their accent. Aussies live in Phoenix, Brits live in Canada, Germans live in South Africa, and so on. We actually have one person on board who is Icelandic! We are sailing with a 2/3 full complement of passengers, so things are pretty relaxed and there are no crowds (well, there really aren’t any to speak of on Crystal). It is too cold to go outside and I am not willing to brave the elements to get in the hot tub. That is one thing I really miss about home – just shuck off your clothes and jump in, no worries about the weather (or people seeing you buck naked which you can’t do in public anyway). Besides, I think it is sacrilegious to hot tub in a bathing suit.

Did you know that the Atlantic Ocean is slightly more than half the area of the Pacific Ocean? The average depth is an amazing 18,900 feet with the deepest point, known as the “Milwaukee Depth,” measuring at more than 30,240 feet. The average width of the Atlantic is 2,500 miles wide and narrows to a few hundred miles in the north where Greenland and Iceland serve as stepping stones between Europe and North America. It measures more than 8,000 miles north to south. The currents in the North Atlantic circulate clockwise, while the currents in the South circulate counterclockwise. Although the Atlantic is about half the size of the Pacific, it receives over half the world’s drainage from sources such as the Amazon, Mississippi, and Congo rivers.

My blog, I hope, is not only entertaining but educational. A lot of the facts I report fascinate me so you get them too. We are having a great time, but I am actually learning so this is a good way to stave off Alzheimer’s and keep the old noodle working.

Update at 10 pm: the windows on the 5th floor have not been covered. The heavy seas warning has been downgraded to 45 mph winds and only 18 foot seas! Current air temperature outside is 48*. So far so good. I hope to post this in a timely manner, but the internet is out and has been most of the day. We have been on the eastern side of Greenland in the Labrador Sea, so maybe this is the problem. This blog might be old news by the time I get it posted!

Reykjavik, Iceland

How cold was it? Did we actually see any ice? The answer is mid 50s and NO. What we did see was an eerie and desolate landscape, some sheep and horses, and lots of moss and lichen covered lava fields with geyser’s and geothermal steam vents erupting everywhere.  Both Michael and I escorted the same tour and actually spent quite a lot of time together exploring Iceland’s dramatic countryside. We departed the ship around 7:30 am and arrived back at 4:30 pm. It was a long and very interesting day.

Now why would anyone want to go to Iceland? I didn’t have any preconceived notions about what I would see, but I surely was delighted with the day’s events. The population of Iceland is only 320,000 and 65% of the inhabitants live in the greater Reykjavik area. Most people live along the coastal plains as much of the island is uninhabitable because of the lava fields and mountains. The island used to be heavily forested, but the Vikings cut down all the trees in order to farm.   Today, trees do not grow due to erosion and wind; the roots cannot take hold and the wind tears them apart. Iceland is home to some of the world’s largest lava fields, and in 1965, Apollo astronauts trained for their moon flight here. Volcanoes erupt approximately every five years.

The only indigenous mammal to Iceland is the Arctic Fox; all other animals have been imported. Iceland is known for its horses as the blood line is so pure that no outside horses are allowed on the island (they have an extra gait that other horses don’t have). These horses are small and look like ponies, but we are told that they are very strong and gentle. They are absolutely beautiful and are solid or multi-colored. One horse had no less than five colors on him/her (white, black, grey, brown, and chestnut) and was stunning. Unfortunately, we were not able to get any good pictures of these magnificent creatures. However, Michael did buy a coffee cup (surprise) with a 3-D horse on it.

Prior to World War II, Iceland was an isolated, poor, and backward country. People lived in CAVES as recently as 1940. WWII was seen as the “blessed war” because it catapulted Iceland into the modern world. The British invaded Iceland in 1940 to keep the Germans from gaining a foothold. The British built a lot of the infrastructure and then the Americans came and added more. Iceland was a Danish colony until 1944, when it got its independence.

I am so sorry to spend so much time on the history of Iceland, but our guide was full of so many interesting facts that I took copious notes and now I find that I don’t know where to cut. I found all of this so fascinating. He was born in Ireland, but became an Icelandic citizen some 30 years ago. He had three children born in Ireland, but they were allowed to keep their original names. He had another child, who was a citizen of Iceland, and by law, had to be given an Icelandic name. So three kids have one surname and the fourth has another. It is their way of keeping the language “pure.” By law, maternity leave is nine months; three for the mom, three for the dad (it is mandatory), and the other three split between the mom and dad.

Some final facts: the average temperature in January is 32 degrees and in July, it is in the 50s. The gulfstream keeps it warm. We all know that Iceland is broke; the economy tanked in 2008 due to bad loans taken in foreign currency. The taxes are high and social services have been cut. No one can get loans so the housing market is worse than ours.

***

We were on the Golden Circle tour that took us on a tour of the southwestern part of Iceland. Our first stop was Thingvellir National Park, which contains the most sacred site in Iceland where the world’s oldest democratic body (called the Althing) convened in 930 A.D.   We were lucky with the weather as we had showers mixed with sunshine, and mild temperatures. This is where we walked along a crevasse or fissure that was created when the American and Eurasian Teutonic plates met. In fact, Iceland is growing by 2 cm per year as the fissure enlarges and lava fills it in.

Our next stop was the Gullfoss waterfall and then the Geysir, where we got to view Strokkur geyser put on a thrilling display. Speaking of geysers, children walking to school have to be careful as a geyser could go off at anytime. A nice buffet lunch and then on to the geothermal power plant for a demonstration of how electricity is generated using hot water from far beneath the ground. A bore hold is drilled into the earth to reach pockets of super heated water which is then run through a heat exchanger which transfers the heat to cold fresh water.  The steam thus generated runs the turbines that then generate electricity. They cannot use the super heated water from the ground because there are too many dissolved chemicals which can cause pipes to erode. Ninety percent of the houses use hot water for heating their homes and driveways. This steam is delivered by pipes from the geothermal features directly to each house. They also heat greenhouses so they can grow vegetables.

Our final stop was to “The Pearl,” a glass structure with a 360 degree view of Reykjavik that was built on top of the city’s water storage tanks. On the way back to the ship, we drove by the house where Reagan and Gorbachev had the cold war summit in 1986. We had an excellent day, and I actually was able to walk and climb in and out of the bus without too much trouble – and that makes me happy.