Random thoughts from the sea
Day 57, 2025 European Odyssey Sunday Aug. 24, 2025; Rotterdam. Today I was feeling a bit nostalgic about leaving Rotterdam and the Nieuwe Maas river for the final time this summer. In two weeks, we will return instead to Amsterdam, and from there head south around the Iberian Peninsula to
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Days 50-51, 2025 European Odyssey Sunday and Monday, Aug. 17-18, 2025; Reykjavik and Heimaey, Iceland. Historic events mark a society, putting a stake in the ground that forever marks “before” and “after.” People remember where they were. History takes a turn. In my lifetime, I can think of three such
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Day 35, 2025 European Odyssey Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025; Douglas, Isle of Man. My love affair with cars started in 2001, when on impulse one evening I bought a car that stole my heart. It was an Audi TT roadster in Amulet Red, fairly new on the market and pretty
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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
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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
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