Random thoughts from the sea
Days 47-49, 2025 European Odyssey Thursday to Saturday, Aug. 14-16, 2025; Djúpivogur, Akureyri and Ísafjörður, Iceland. There may be a fine line between comfort and falling into a rut. I might have crossed it. I find comfort in the familiarity of places I’ve visited before. There’s no tinge of anxiety
Continue reading
Day 45, 2025 European Odyssey Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025; Ålesund, Norway. Forty-two days ago, I boarded The Golden Train for an afternoon ride on what Lonely Planet called Europe’s most scenic rail journey. We saw waterfalls and farms as we climbed the mountain valley, but had no glimpses of the
Continue reading
Days 42-43, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9-10, 2025; Dover, England, and Rotterdam, Netherlands. An astounding 300 million people – one out of every 27 people living on earth – are not living in the country of their birth, the United Nations reports. Immigration is a highly politicized
Continue reading
Day 40, 2025 European Odyssey Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025; Edinburgh, Scotland. Imagine sitting in the stands at an American college football game, watching the home team’s marching band take the field for maybe 10 minutes. Most spectators have headed for the concession stands or toilet – or buried their faces
Continue reading
Days 36-39, 2025 European Odyssey Sunday to Wednesday, Aug. 3-6, 2025; Wales and Inverness, Scotland, I am beginning to see why tourists might quip “ABC!” Another Bloody Castle! Estimates for the number of castles in the British Isles vary, but it’s in the thousands, depending on your definition. Generally, castles
Continue reading
Days 32-34, 2025 European Odyssey Wednesday to Friday, July 30-Aug. 1, 2025; Killybegs, Galway and Cobh, Ireland. For travelers who like to check off lists, there are unlimited choices. One of my sisters is on a quest to visit the highest elevation point in each state. (She knows she will
Continue reading
Days 30-31, 2025 European Odyssey Monday and Tuesday, July 28-29, 2025; At Sea and Stornoway, Scotland. What is it like to cruise on one of Holland America’s largest ships for the first time? Mind you, these are not large ships. The Nieuw Statendam is 975 feet long, just shy of
Continue reading
Days 28-29, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27, 2025; Dover, England, and Rotterdam, Netherlands. When I say there are only a few repeat ports on my summer back-to-back cruises in Northern Europe, I’m not counting Dover and Rotterdam. We visit each city four times because they are the
Continue reading
Days 25-26, 2025 European Odyssey Wednesday and Thursday, July 23-24, 2025; Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands. For the past couple of years, I’ve flown the flag of each country we visit on my cabin door frame. It’s a fun ritual to change the flag when we head to a new
Continue reading
Days 21-23, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday-Monday, July 19-21, 2025; Grundarfjørdur and Reykjavik, Iceland. The trope that Eskimos have many words for snow is debated among linguists, but it does illustrate the belief that those whose life is filled with snow probably understand its nuances better than people who’ve never seen
Continue reading
Recent Comments