Day 85

-
NOVEMBER 24, 2019

 CRUISING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

 The weather has turned foggy and the sea swells have grown to about 3-4 meters. No problem. This afternoon's rain, though, is a little worrisome for tomorrow's excursions at  Ushuaia. However, the weatherman says cloudy with only a small chance of a shower then.

 Austral summer is approaching with its promise of warmer times. Unfortunately, we are moving away from the equator faster than the equinox is approaching. So, colder it is!
It seems just a few weeks ago that the length of daylight was 12 hours, from 6:00 AM to before 6:00 PM. Today, sunrise in Usuaia is 5:01 AM and sunset is 9:40 PM, a full sixteen and a half hours. Now that's something that was not expected. We are learning.

 Karen and I attended two guest lectures. Often, the topics and the titles of these presentations do not sound particularly appealing. This morning's talk, "Ghost Ship of Grytviken - A True Story of the Long Atlantic Ocean" by historian/author Robb Robinson fell into that category. But how wrong I was! It's the story about a 1906 fish trawler that, during the First World War, sank more ships that either Royal Navy's Dreadnoughts or German U-boats. There is much, much more to this great story. By a superb storyteller. 
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9781907206276/Viola-Life-Times-Hull-Steam-1907206272/plp

 This evening's chat by geologist Tony Waltham, "A Geologic Journey from Rio to Janelao" is about one of the little-known wonders of the world, an amazing series of gigantic caves in central Brazil. Stunning, beautiful, inviting. Worth a trip.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNQ5JRFeyGS-E1OdA7KDvNwfbfgV8w:1574639000694&q=Gruta_do_Janel%C3%A3o+photos&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqr6Syg4TmAhUN5uAKHYDhBSgQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1163&bih=525

 Since we are on the ocean, Denea's "Flowers of the Sea" feels right: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IkcMTbarzA&t=179s

 Late in the day the skies cleared - looks promising for tomorrow.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 182

-
FEBRUARY 28, 2020 DARWIN, AUSTRALIA We all recognize that life is an adventure - there will be surprises. Coronavirus is an unexpected development and this voyage has already made adjustments. Further adjustments are possible, even likely, during the two months remaining on Viking's World Cruise.  At a time when authorities must be " seen to be doing something " about the chances of a pandemic, fear can provoke overreaction and more surprises. Karen and I have taken a cautionary attitude about how matters could evolve. We believe this is prudent. Consequently, we have decided to defer the remainder of this voyage to a later date.    With that in mind, a fitting tune is Sophie Zelmani's  " Going Home ". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrIG3K40-8A
Read more

Day 11

-
Image
September 10, 2019 EDINBURGH - They say Scotland gets a lot of rain. Tell me about it! Arrived here in the fog and that became a steady drizzle. But at least it wasn't cold, around 16 degrees.  The rush hour (good planning) bus tour of The Queen City was mostly about crawling from stoplight to stoplight. Incredibly dense traffic made worse by many downtown streets being closed to accommodate the filming of Fast and Furious Nine - we saw the support trucks, an army of them, dozens. The main attraction, of course, is the Castle on the hill. Very impressive from below, but almost inaccessible due to the overwhelming crowds and the discouraging wait times - where did all these people come from? I'm told that tourism gridlock is becoming the new normal in cities like Paris and Rome. Meanwhile, on the Viking Sun there is so much space, even in the restaurants, one never feels pressed.  After returning to the ship from downtown, wouldn't you know it, the sun came out.
Read more

Day 72

-
Image
NOVEMBER 11, 2019 SALVADOR DA BAHIA, BRAZIL For a city that I've never heard of, Salvador da Bahia is a surprisingly large metropolis. Three million people live in this sprawling, modern city. It seems as though there is a catholic church at every street corner, a bit like Starbucks. The photos I took today all disappeared as I was downloading them, so I borrowed a few from the Internet. This is part of the old town where we walked - it was crowded.  Most of the city is on an escarpment above the water. In order to access the escarpment, there are three funiculars and this 73 meter Elevador Lacerda which was built in 1873 - it costs 4 cents to ride up or down.  Also in town is the cruise ship, World Odyssey. You might recall that this ship operated as a floating condominium at one time and sailed wherever the owners decided. I guess that concept passed its expiry date for the ship now sails under its new flag "Seminar a
Read more